Abraham Lincoln: “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
Winston Churchill: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Although the accomplishments of a group are most objectively viewed by someone outside the organization, it is much more satisfying when someone on the inside does the “our story” inventory. When a participant tells the tale, the familiar become fecund, fantasy flourishes, and facts ferment into fabulous fables. With the aid of artful massaging and manipulation from a non-disinterested insider, an accumulation of trivial of deeds develops into an awe inspiring accounting. That’s the type of treatment you should expect at the Malden Yacht Club Blog after the Ol’ Philosophizer sits down to write a recap of our 2010 kayaking season, for I have been known to exaggerate every now and then. But not today. It simply isn’t necessary. The absolute truth is that the Malden Yacht Club had an exceptionally outstanding year! Continue reading ‘That’s All, Folks’ »
Posted by Ol' Philosophizer on 4 December 2010 at 5:08 pm under Creative 'Ritin' And Philosophizen.
10 Comments.
Chris Rock: “Charlie Brown is the one person I identify with. C.B. is such a loser. He wasn’t even the star of his own Halloween special.”
Lady Van Tassal: “Watch your heads!” (from “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”)
Silly me, I thought that Halloween was just for kids, but once again, I was wrong. Halloween is for old kids too. Sometimes it just takes an unexpected adrenaline rush to bring that fact home. Like the one I had Thursday night … and like the other one I had on Friday afternoon. If one rush could bring back the thrill of teetering on the edge of anxiety, then two ought to definitely bring back that “AAAHHHH … OMG … that was freakin’ awesome” feeling. It worked for me. Want to hear about it? Continue reading ‘Harkening Back To Harrowing Halloweens’ »
Posted by Ol' Philosophizer on 30 October 2010 at 1:46 pm under Creative 'Ritin' And Philosophizen.
6 Comments.
Method Man: “I want to do a documentary about strippers, ’cause it’s a moneymaker.”
Bruce Jackson: “Documentary films are created in an inverted funnel of declining possibility.” [I don’t have any idea what this means, but it sure seems to describe our project.]
What do you get when you combine a Steven Colbert monologue, a Lady Gaga video and an OSHA instructional, public service announcement? I don’t have the slightest idea … but I can tell you what you might get at the premiere of the Malden Yacht Club production “Kayaking For With Dummies.” You might get indigestion. You might also have a good time.
Continue reading ‘Kayaking With Dummies - An MYC Production’ »
Posted by Ol' Philosophizer on 11 October 2010 at 1:44 pm under Creative 'Ritin' And Philosophizen.
10 Comments.
Steve Garvey: “You must be passionate, you must dedicate yourself, and you must be relentless in the pursuit of your goals. If you do, you will be successful.”
Preston Manning: “Canada is the only country founded on the relentless pursuit of the rodent.”
Barroom boasts seldom come to much, but on rare occasions an idea born in a beer bottle grows into a positive accomplishment. Obviously, I’m not talking about food consumption challenges or athletic feats that involve some combination of speed, strength and balance. No, I’m referring to a class of more doable challenges; the kind that I might actually consider during a moment of sober reflection, except for the fact that those darn inhibitions toward caution keep getting in the way. Absent the influence of strong stimuli, it is comforting for old-timers like me to stick to customary enterprises, those that I have attempted numerous times. Selecting from a menu of standard activities leaves me with little doubt that the initiation of one will result in it’s successful completion. Yes, I find great consolation in avoiding the unknown and sticking to the routine … but, folks, every now and then, you have to let the genie out of the bottle … just like the Malden Yacht Club did in a tavern near Lake George, almost three years ago. Continue reading ‘Canaday Do It? Yes, We Cana-Did It!’ »
Posted by Ol' Philosophizer on 16 September 2010 at 3:28 pm under Creative 'Ritin' And Philosophizen.
1 Comment.
Fred Allen: “Most of us spend the first six days of each week sowing wild oats; then we go to church on Sunday and pray for a crop failure.”
H. L. Mencken: “It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place.”
Folks, do I have a pleasant surprise for you! I bet you expected that the very next time I posted on the blog, I would give you a stroke by stroke account of the Malden Yacht Club’s 139 mile journey down Lake Champlain. And you would be wrong … I’ll save that for another time. Instead, I am going to hand the keyboard over to Mrs. Ol’ P because she has a whopper of a story to tell … and it’s all true! (Don’t get used to that commodity on the Malden Yacht Club Blog.) Anyway, before I spoil her effort, why don’t I let Mrs. Ol’ P tell you what happened on the very first day of our most recent Lake Champlain adventure … even I couldn’t make this stuff up. Continue reading ‘A History of Harry, A Hard Time Horticulturist’ »
Posted by Ol' Philosophizer on 6 September 2010 at 7:30 pm under trip reports.
8 Comments.
