by Ralph
on June 12, 2013
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I like them.
First of all, they are useful because they provide needed information. Like what exit to take to find the In and Out when you are traveling. Much better than trying to guess which exit will provide what you need or the unhelpful information that our crack government techies put on their high priced electronic signs.
Second, they are better designed than anything else you are likely to see from the road.
Third, they provide interest on long stretches of boring interstate farmland or desert or urban wasteland.
Now there may be times when a billboard is overkill. I’m ok with no billboards at the grand canyon, half dome and big sur but take away the billboards from LA and what have you got? Most of LA is pretty dreary- and I say this as a thirty year resident of LA now suffering withdrawal after moving to Sacramento. What is the Sunset Strip without billboards? Would you like what you see from LaCienega if the billboards were gone? Of course not. They are damn ugly. And its not just LA. Who would ever go to Times Square if it were only buildings?
So I say get off your elitist high horse and admit that billboards add something to the aesthetics of urban life and they don’t do much damage in the country.
The City Council in LA (bumbling egocentric dolts all of them- and I feel qualified to make that pronouncement having worked for their collective asses for 26 years) periodically crusade against billboards but thankfully they appreciate the money they contribute to political life more than their stunted esthetic judgement and LA remains the vibrant place it has always been.
Now there is a new development – the super billboard that covers an entire building. Given how ugly the typical building in LA is this is surely an improvement you would think.
Not according to City Councilman Weiss who says it is a safety hazard.
There is even a whole organization of dogooder busybodies devoted to stopping billboard blight. Surely there is a place in hell full of boring, ugly buildings where they will find eternal rest and boredom.
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by Ralph
on June 12, 2013
Two keys for a positive attitude in retirement
1. Find a partner
2. Read good books
It is a cliché to say that you must be positive if you want success. But it is absolutely true. And it is true in making a successful retirement as in everything else. Negative people don’t win. Negative people don’t even start the race. If you are truly a negative person, you are probably not reading this post because only a positive person would be trying to become better. The big difficulty is that even positive people can’t be positive all the time. The negative forces today are pervasive and persistent and it is hard to stay positive every minute. You need to develop defenses against the pressure and resources to pull you attitude up when you begin to go negative.
Keep your retirement plan on track – Find a partner
Don’t be a loner. It is too easy to get down and stay down when you are alone. Have a partner who shares your goals. That way when you are down, you have someone to help you get back up. Even better you should have a coach or mentor who can help you recognize the progress you are making and keep you on the course you set for yourself. Alone, it is hard to recognize progress and easy to become discouraged. It can seem as if you have been struggling forever and making no progress at all. You can’t be a good judge and you will always undervalue your accomplishments. A coach or mentor can tell you that you have made progress and keep you hard at work. Professional athletes all have coaches to give them objective opinions and keep them focused on what is important. Senior retirement is no less important than sports. Apply the same focus and commitment and have a community to help you when you become discouraged and make sure that you stay on track.
Read and reread positive books
There are so many negative influences today bombarding us in the media and even in casual communications that it take commitment to stay positive. Cut the negative out of your life as much as you can by avoiding news and cutting negative people out of your life. Then inject positive by reading good positive books that help you become a powerful, positive influence. Start with the Magic of Thinking Big. If you read it before, then read it again. Your brain can retain only so much information and the influence of any book diminishes with time. Each time you read a good book, you find information that you missed or just didn’t appreciate before.
Do you have any tips for staying positive? Please share them or your experiences with positive thinking. We all love a good positive story.
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