"When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it's a sure sign you're getting old."

                             - Mark Twain -

Men are like a fine wine. They all start out like grapes, and it's our job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you'd like to have dinner with.

                        - Matt Simpson -

Men are more linear and factual thinkers, their minds are like ships sailing along the ocean, going from point A to point B. Men tend to be more direct in giving orders, can work with people they don’t like because men can compartmentalize – work is work.

If there’s a problem, men think about it. Men want solutions. They like to fix problems and not just discuss them. So when you’re talking to a man, you can expect some sort of solution, even if all you intended was simply to be heard.

Men tend to focus more on the end result. They are task-oriented. So if you’re at a meeting where two men are involved in a heated discussion about something, remember that it doesn’t always imply a bad relationship.

Men can be more direct and blunt when giving feedback about something, that’s why when you ask a man for an opinion about your idea, and he says something to the effect of, “It stinks!” he wonders why you’re upset. Expect a brutally honest response. And remember that they’re responding to the idea and not the person – it’s not a personal attack.

Men rarely ask questions. Even if they do, it’s usually to gather information.
Men like to keep calls brief. Women prefer to chat. Men are perfectly right to be more direct, they are natural providers. They are task-oriented and like to get the job done. These two styles compliment each other perfectly, as long as there is an openness and understanding on each part.

Men want to make us happy, their occasional inability to accomplish this goal stems from our inability to say what we need in a constructive manner. The most frequently expressed complaint men have about women is that women are always trying to change them and why in the world would you WANT to change him? He's not broken, so don't fix him. If he asks, he wants to do something to make a change, he wants a woman's acceptance. If he ASKS you directly how to change or improve, suggest it to him in a loving, caring way. Don't belittle him, put him down, or demand. All you accomplish there is thwarting his desire to grow or change. Men need to feel in control, so let him HAVE the remote.

A man's sense of self is defined through his ability to achieve results, through success and accomplishment, achieve goals and prove his competence and feel good about himself. To feel good about himself, men must achieve goals by themselves. For men, doing things by themselves is a symbol of efficiency, power and competence. Men rarely talk about their problems unless they are seeking "expert" advice; asking for help when you can do something yourself is a sign of weakness.

Men are more aggressive than women; more combative and territorial. Men's self esteem is more career-related. Men feel devastated by failure and financial setbacks; they tend to obsess about money much more than women. Men hate to ask for information because to them it shows they are a failure. Men need to receive trust, acceptance, appreciation, admiration, approval, encouragement. Men are motivated when they feel needed. A man's deepest fear is that he is not good enough or not competent enough, he cannot provide or is in some other way not as good as he would like to be, though he may never express this. For a man not to feel needed, loved, and admired is slow death for a man.

Looking at other women isn't a bad thing. If he doesn't look at an attractive female, something is wrong with him or he's dead. That's when you need to worry. It isn't like we don't look at attractive men, we're just better at being subtle about it.

Men offer solutions to problems in an effort to help. They do this so that they can frustrate us. They enjoy it. Kind of a retaliatory thing because they don't understand a woman's need for talking.

Men withdraw to think when they have problems, this is not ignoring you. They like to "hide" in a cave and think things through. He'll come out when he's ready to talk, or not talk, respect that.

The arms and heart of a man who deeply,and passionately loves you is the best place to be. A man's eyes can melt your heart. Appreciate men. They need to be needed and admired.

Men can be truly artistic and show great passion and depth of emotion in art. They have this wonderful place on their shoulder and neck just made for your head to rest on.

Men are the most wonderful, charming, loving, romantic, passionate, giving people on earth if treated right, respected, needed, admired and handled with care. They provide a lifetime of happiness.

Men have an uncanny ability to look deeply into a woman's eyes and connect with her heart, even when we don't want them to.

No matter what man say or do not say in an argument with a woman, you're in trouble. Be careful how you respond.

Housework should be shared. There is nothing wrong with a man who is a "house husband". It's his choice. He still likes football, sports, whatever. It doesn't lessen your value or his as a man.

If you say you're going to call, CALL If you tell her you're going to write...DO IT If you're going to be away for a day or two, let her know. Never be too busy to at least let your lady know when you might be gone for a few. Being dependable and keeping your word to a woman means more than you know. Men like a woman they can count on.

Now who understands MEN?

Frogs and Weather

Frogs have been associated with weather in a lot of ancient cultures.
Some Australian aborigines and Native American groups believed that frogs were the bringers of rain.
In India, frogs were believed to personify thunder in the sky. Even the word for "frog" also meant "cloud" in Sanskrit!
In China, they see the "TOAD", not the "man" of the moon. The toad is also considered "one of the five poisons of yin." They say that eclipses happen when the "toad in the moon" tries to swallow the moon itself!  In Chinese tales and legends, the toad is a trickster and a magician, a master of escapes and spells. But he is also the keeper of the real, powerful secrets of the world, such as the secret of immortality. Many legends involve a wandering wise man called Liu Hai and his three-legged toad companion Ch'an Chu. The toad knows the secret of eternal life, and for his friendship reveals the secret to the wise man.
 
Frogs and Luck

Sometimes, cultures associated frogs with good and bad fortune.
In Japan, frogs are the symbols of Good Luck. One myth dealt with the idea that bullfrogs are descended from a great ancestor who could suck all the mosquitoes out of a whole room in a single breath! Similar legend involves the Gama-Sennin, also known as Kosensei, a wise old man with a hunched body and a warty face. Kosensei wanders the land with his toad companion, who teaches him the secret powers of herbs, including the secret of immortality.

Interestingly, many of these Asian tales refer to the secret of immortality as a fungus growing from the toad's forehead. It has been suggested that this may be a link to the many shamanistic traditions of the Americas, where hallucinogenic compounds derived from frogs and toads are used for religious rituals of communion with the spirit world and self-transcendence.
 
Poison, Hallucination, Transcendence:

The Alchemical Amphibian

One of the other forms of power that frogs and toads wield in many cultures and myths is chemical, or alchemical: frogs are viewed as the purveyors of poison or of powerful drugs, which can heal or induce hallucinations. In many cases, these myths have some foundation in truth, as some species contain compounds both poisonous and hallucinogenic. Many tribes of South and Central America have used compounds from frogs and toads as poisons and hallucinogenic drugs for religious rituals.

In medieval Europe, toads were viewed as evil creatures whose blood was a potent poison and whose body parts had strange powers. Some of these views were created by writers from Classical Greece and Rome, whose opinions held great sway. Pliny the Elder imputed many strange powers to toads: a toad's presence will silence a room full of people; a small bone from a toad's right side will keep water from boiling; a bone from the left side will repel the attack of dogs.

A widely held superstition concerned the fabulous "Toad-Stone," a jewel that was supposed to be found inside the toad's head. This jewel, placed in a ring or a necklace, would heat up or change color in the presence of poison, thereby protecting the wearer from foul play.

In Shakespeare's play As You Like It, the Old Duke says,

"Sweet are the uses of adversity which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head."

Toads were also commonly seen as evil spirits, or as the "imp" or "familiar" who accompanied witches, assisting them in their evil designs. These familiars could also be cats, crows, insects, or dogs. In the annals of the witch trials at St. Osyth (England), Ursula Kempe's young son testified that one of her four familiars, a black toad named Pigin, had once called illness in a young boy. Toads were also popular as poisonous ingredients in potions. It was said that "the women-witches of ancient time which killed by poisoning, did much use toads in their confections." Male witches were also purported to use toads for their poisonous magic. Such folklore and popular mythology is the result of Inquistion propaganda and does not reflect Pagan religions.

Some myths are less favoring to frogs and toads. Some folklorists have claimed that: If the first frog that you see in the spring is sitting on dry ground, it signifies that during the same year you will shed as many tears as the frog would require to swim away in. If, on the other hand, the first frog of spring jumps into the water, you'll experience misfortune all year! However, if the springs' first "hoptoad" come jumping in your direction, you will have many friends; if it jumps away from you, you will lose some.

French have been given the nickname Frogs.

The nickname dates way back to sometime around the 18th century, when Paris was surrounded by many swamps. The French nobility that would visit Versailles apparently tended to refer to Parisians as frogs because of the swampy surroundings and only later did the term get picked up to describe the French in general. Frog used to be on the French Flag, before the Fleurs de Lis was adopted when King Clovis took the throne.

American soldiers adopted the nickname for the French during the World War II because they ate frog legs and hid well when camouflaged.

The story of the Frog Prince

An early medieval tale from the Piedmont region of Italy recounts that a father with three daughters -- the elder two selfish and the youngest good -- falls ill and travels to a famous healer's castle. Before he leaves, he asks each daughter what they want him to bring back for them. The two eldest each ask for jewelry, while the youngest asks for only a flower. Arriving at the castle, the father finds no one home. Dismayed, he readies himself to leave, but on his way out he sees a beautiful garden. Thinking he at least bring his youngest a flower, he picks a rose. Suddenly a huge toad appears and says, "Who gave you leave to pick flowers from my garden?" The toad adds, "You must pay with your life for your theft."

The only way the magic toad will pardon the father is if he will give his youngest daughter to the toad in marriage. Distraught, the father returns home, determined to sacrifice himself instead of his daughter. However, his devoted daughter cannot bear this, and so sneaks off that night and marries the toad. When she gets into bed with the toad, she finds him transformed into a handsome prince. The prince tells her she must never reveal the secret, and he gives her a magic ring, which will grant her whatever she wishes. Her sisters, expecting her to be miserable as the bride of the toad, become suspicious of her happiness, and press her for the truth. Finally, she reveals the secret, and the toad falls deathly ill. Weeping and praying for her love's life, the maiden remembers the ring, and wishes that her love may be healed. When nothing happens, she throws the ring into the lake in a rage; suddenly, the toad vanishes and her handsome lover appears out of the lake. The enchantment is broken, and her lover is returned to human form.

In each instance of the story, true beauty is hidden beneath a superficial ugliness. The hero or heroine must recognize that beauty, or make a leap of faith, so that the beauty may be revealed.

Toads were viewed in medieval Europe as a symbol of romantic jealousy, the embodiment of an ugly and poisonous feeling. Spenser, in The Faerie Queene, describes a character eaten up by jealousy:

"Nor ever is he wont on ought to feed But toades and frogs, his pasture poisonous which his cold complexion do breed a filthy bloud, or humour rancorous, matter of doubt and dread suspitious, that doth with cureless care consume the hart, corrupts the stomacke with gall vitious, croscuts the liver with internall smart, and doth transfixe the soule with deathes' eternall dart."

Shakespeare, writing later, has Othello wracked by jealousy in toad form:

"O curse of marriage, that we can call these delicate creatures ours And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad and live upon the vapour of a dungeon than keep a corner of the thing I love for others' uses."

Milton, in Paradise Lost, has Satan embodied as a toad to corrupt Eve's mind with jealousy. The ugly and presumably poisonous toad made it the perfect foil, the embodiment of the strange, the inexplicable, the pestilent, and the evil that humans felt both in themselves and in the world around them.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/frogs/folklore/folklore_3.html

Philosophy 101

A professor stood before his Philosophy 101 class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous - - yes.

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - - your family, your partner, your health, your children, your friends, your favorite passions - - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - - the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. Play another 18. There will always be time for me to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal."

"Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers!

Don't Worry Be Happy

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