This Music May Be Classical But It Sure Rocks!

Check it out! It's "Ode To Joy," originally composed by Ludwig von Beethoven. This version, played by Cast In Bronze was arranged by Frank DellaPenna whose permission I have to post it here...Please don't download it. If you like it- buy the CD. It's called "The Voyage." It's available through the CIB Official website.

ALICE'S ANIMAL CHARITIES


Angels on a Leash
244 Fifth Avenue #2312New York, NY 10001
Toll Free: (877) DOG-ANGEL (877-364-2643)http://www.angelonaleash.com/

Animal Farm Foundation
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/index.php
Animal Farm Foundation P.O. Box 624 Bangall, NY 12506

Animal Medical Center
By Mail:
510 East 62nd Street
New York, NY 10065-8314
Ms. Jeanne Lunin, Director of Development
Online: http://www.amcny.org/
By Phone: Call The Animal Medical Center's Development Office at 212.329.8660 and charge your gift by credit card. We welcome Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover cards.

The Animal Rescue Site
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3

Animal Birth Control
P.O. Box 353
Pine Beach, NJ 08741
Contact: Maggie Trengrove, President 732.2698793

Associated Humane Societies and Popcorn Park Zoo
124 Evergreen Ave. Newark, NJ 07114-2133 Phone: (973) 824-7080 Fax: (973) 824-2720
http://www.ahscares.org/default.asp

ASPCA
There are three ways to make a tribute donation:
Website: If you’d like to make a donation online and inform the individual via email, you may send them an eHonor or eMemorial notification. This is a very simple process, and the fastest way for your message to be sent. http://www.aspca.org/
Mail: If you’d like to send a check, please enclose a note indicating the name of the deceased or honoree, the name and the address of the person you wish us to contact concerning the donation, and who it is from. We will send out a tribute card to the person you’ve indicated. Please send your check to: ASPCA Tributes, 520 8th Ave., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10018.
Phone: We also accept credit card donations over the phone. Please call 800-628-0028.

Best Friends Animal Society
5001 Angel Canyon Road
Knabe, UT 84741
435.644.2001
http://www.bestfriends.org/

Burlington County Animal Alliance
7 Pioneer LaneWillingboro, NJ 08046-3839
Make checks payable to: "Burlington County Animal Alliance"

Dogs Deserve Better
http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/

Jersey Shore Animal Center
http://www.jerseyshoreanimalcenter.org/
Please make checks or money orders payable to JSAC and send along with your name, address, and telephone number
185 Brick BoulevardBrick, NJ 08723

Kindness Ranch-American Sanctuary for Research Animals
854 State Highway 270
P.O. Box 63
Hartville, WY 82215
(307)735-4177
http://www.kindnessranch.org/


Monmouth County SPCA
http://www.monmouthcountyspca.org/
260 Wall Street, Eatontown NJ, 07724,
732-542-0040

North Shore Animal League of America
http://www.nsalamerica.org/25 Davis AvenuePort Washington, NY 11050516-883-7575

Ocean County Animal Facility (North)
615 Fremont Ave. Jackson, NJ 08527
Phone: (732) 657-8086
Ocean County Animal Facility (South)
321 Hay Road Manahawkin, NJ 08050
Phone: (609) 978-0127

Purrfect Feline Friends
Email Cathy: mspacak@embarqmail.com
Jackson, NJ

Petfinder.com Foundation
http://www.petfinder.com/foundation/donate.html

PetSmart Charities
http://www.petsmartcharities.org/
19601 North 27th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85027 / 1-800-423-PETS info@petsmartcharities.org
Or: contact your local PetSmart store

S.A.V.E. (Shore Animal Volunteer Enterprise)
http://www.save.rescuegroups.org/index.php:
P.O. Box 503
Island Heights NJ 08732
Or: call our Treasurer Carole Jablonsky at 732-206-0344

P.B.R.C. (Pit Bull Rescue Central)
P.O. Box 335Fulton, Missouri 65251
http://www.pbrc.net/donate.html

Save U.S. Pets Foundation
Please make checks payable to The Save U.S. Pets Foundation and mail to
657 Valley Road,
Suite 103
Watchung, NJ 07609-6118.
http://www.saveuspets.org/
OR: donate through participating veterinary hospitals

The reason for the crystal ball:

At work when our computers go down, customers will often ask me when they will be up again. (Hello! Like if I knew the answers to questions like that, do you think I'd be sitting around here all day? Big Dah!) After about the fifth person asks me this, it starts to get a tad annoying...Nevertheless, I jokingly tell them that my crystal ball is unfortunately on the same server and it is also not working. Therefore, I have no idea...I'm no longer making this line up!

Alice Reads and Recommends

Introduction:
Usually I have several books going at once....one novel for home, another for my breaks at work (when I'm not attempting to knit, run errands, talk, work or eat), plus several non-fiction titles to help me figure out whatever problem or project I'm working on. Many times (when not listening to Cast in Bronze) I will also "read" a book on CD while driving since my daily commute to work is kind of long.

Highly Recommended:
The Bells by Dennis Coleman became an instant favorite with me.

Dennis Coleman has many published writings to his credit, including novels, short stories and essays. His latest project forced him down a different career path and broke new literary ground. It all started with a request from a friend to design a story around an idea that came to this friend in a dream. For some time Dennis balked at the thought of undertaking such a daunting task. However, the friend was relentless and The Bells made its way into print.

The Bells unfolds against the backdrop of late 18th to early 19th century France when community bell towers were still relied on as a means of communication and entertainment to townsfolk throughout Europe. What sets it apart from other works in its genre is the integral relationship between the townspeople of Douai and their municipal bells, an instrument known as a carillon. Douai France, in actuality is known for its carillon. In this work of fiction, the bells are removed from their tower, and 30 years later restored through the courageous action of one woman. Through her tale, she demonstrates that the carillon, in an enigmatic manner, guides the lives of the people in her village through love, losses, and hardships.

Once Dennis completed his novel, the friend that initially motivated him to write The Bells adapted it for the stage, scoring it with original music and lyrics. A soundtrack has already become available and it is hoped that the musical will go into production in the near future. For the first time in history, a play has been designed to feature an actual carillon as part of the show. In addition to being a writer, Dennis is a musician. His friend is Frank DellaPenna, a nationally recognized carillonneur that performs throughout the country on a very rare mobile carillon under the name, “Cast in Bronze.” This sheds light on how a musical instrument became a main character in a literary work. The concept is expressed so well both in writing and song that I can see the play ending up on Broadway and the novel becoming a bestseller.

Other titles by Dennis Coleman were enjoyable, as well. These include: Clues and Secrets, A Full Head of Hair, and The Letters of Danny Coyle.

I was fortunate to have met Dennis on two occassions.

Alice's Pet Peeves (Stupid Little Things That Drive Me Crazy!)

  • Using the term "renting" in regards to library materials. Library services are free! Therefore you are "borrowing" the stuff you take out on your library card, not renting!
  • Unwillingness to accept innovations in technology. I picture the same people that complain about the library's card catalog being replaced by an online version sitting around in the stone age complaining about the invention of fire and the wheel!
  • The statement couples often make:"We're pregnant." Hello? Did I miss something in health class? To the best of my knowledge only the woman can be with child.
  • Some of the features on newer versions of MS Office, for example, their "Reading Layout" view. It never fails to mess up the format of a document that I have emailed to someone. Since it is a default setting for opening an attachment in MS Outlook, I'm often getting complaints that my documents arrive scrambled. People aren't always aware that they can change the view to compensate for the problem. I forget this myself sometimes. Then I get frustrated when I need to edit a file that was emailed to me as an attachment because that can't be done in Reading Layout either. I also want to pick a bone with the Microsoft people over "Drawing Canvases" used when working with graphics and photos in office douments. This feature completely gets in the way of formatting my documents which are always laden with complex illustrations. Guess what, you can't always turn it off!
  • So-called "reality" television shows. I doubt that much about most of them is even really real.... Whatever happened to t.v.serving as an escape from reality?
  • Shopping carts left in store parking lots after use. How hard is it to put them in the "cart corral!" At least put them someplace where they won't bump into cars or block otherwise empty spaces. Warning: I get nasty when I see people abandoning shopping carts in the middle of the lot! Carts ran into my car twice in the last two weeks.
  • Negative, vulgar or rude messages printed on t-shirts, automobile decals or other personal property that can be seen in public. To me this is another form of pollution! An example of this is a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon decal often seen on pickup truck windows that portrays one of the characters urinating on an object of the vehicle owner's dislike.
  • Hollywood celebrities and professional athletes. Why do people care so much about what they do, think, and say when not performing or playing their sport?
  • Bicycle Shorts. Do bicycles now run on spandex or is it a law that those tight garments be warn by everyone that rides a bike? Almost nobody looks good in them and I can't believe that all of you are training for races. Go put some real clothes on and stop acting pretentious!
  • Another shopping pet peeve- What is so special about the closest parking spaces? The way cars sit and wait for them, blocking the aisles so that other cars can't pass, one would think there was something special about them. As for me, I think it's special that I have two healthy legs and have an extra opportunity to get in a little exercise by parking further away from the store..

Blue States

As big of a pain in the neck as it was to listen to all the election talk everywhere I turned, this presidential election led me to do some serious thinking. I have come to a bunch of conclusions about American politics as it relates to me and made some observations about voting behavior- my own and others'. Please forgive my run on sentences and lack of cohesiveness in the following points. I am just thinking out loud.

1. I have no grasp on the subject of politics, at all. I haven't bothered to educate myself because it all sounds so boring to me. Plus,

2. In my opinion, the general public doesn't get any real facts about issues and candidates, anyway. Hard data can be molded to support any agenda being pushed. Most politicians are lawyers and lawyers are schooled in the art of debate and manipulating people. If objective information exists, it is buried too deep for access by the average citizen that doesn't understand the intricacies of our legal system. So,

3. It seems to me that most people vote by following the opinions of others that they like and whose judgement they trust....(Or, in some cases they vote opposite from someone they don't trust or find repelling.)

4. In my case, I am totally confused. There are both conservative and liberal influences in my life. So, this doesn't even help me chose my political views. In recent years, I have been doing what many dutiful married women do- vote the same way as my husband.

5. This election, as I was pressing the button to make my choice for the next American President, I felt a nagging lack of confidence in my choice. Later on, upon sorting out my feelings by talking to a co-worker, I realized that my opinions on major social issues contradicted the way I voted.

6. As much as I despise all of the conflicts that go along with politics, I'm thinking that I need to come to a better understanding of its importance. Although I always do by civic duty by voting (I owe it to the suffragettes that endured physical torture so that women could vote) I keep thinking that it's all a big game that brings out some of the worst traits and seediest behavior in humanity and that anyone that gets involved with running for office is an ego maniac at the very least and at worst, an all out criminal. I can't believe that some people actually enjoy politics or get a thrill from it. I get a headache from it.

7. I still am asking the question, do politicians ever do anything that makes the world a better place?

8. Now that it's all over, all I can say for now is God Bless President Elect Obama. He's going to need all the help he can get.

Posted in: on Thursday, November 6, 2008 at at 10:30:00 AM  

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In Memory of My Mother, Also an Alice

Here is the original obituary that I wrote. I ended up having to shorten it for submission to the newspapers.

Alice Paupst, a resident of Shrub Oak for most of her life, died peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, December 3rd after battling Alzheimer's disease for several years. She was 84 years old. Until retirement she was employed by the A & P food company as a book keeper in their Yorktown, Shrub Oak and Peekskill stores (NY State). She was the wife of Marvin C. Paupst and daughter of George Dewey and Marion Hancock, all deceased. She is survived by a daughter, Alice Tiffeault Parfitt living in NJ and a brother, George Hancock, Jr. of Louisville, KY. Viewing hours will be held at the Clark Funeral Home in Yorktown Heights this Friday, 12/5 2:00pm - 4:00pm and 7:00pm to 9:00pm. A service will be held at the funeral home Saturday morning at 11:00 am followed by the burial at the Amawalk Cemetary also in Yorktown Heights. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to animal charities on Alice's behalf.

The following is a "polished up" version of the eulogy that I delivered at the funeral.

My mother was a victim of identity theft. I don’t mean the kind involving stolen credit card and social security numbers. Instead, my mother lost her memories, her personality, and, in the end, her dignity and her life, to Alzheimer’s disease. The real loss of my mother took place gradually over the course of several years. It’s been such a long journey that I’ve been finding it difficult to recall what she was like when she was still of sound mind. For this reason, in the last few days since her passing I’ve been mentally reviewing her life, making sure that I can still remember what she was like before her illness. It is these memories that I want to share with everyone here today.

Right away, the first thing that came to mind was how well she got along with people. A line from an old song that I used to listen to said, “Love everybody and make them your friend.” My mother was the only person I knew that actually accomplished this. In her work as a bookkeeper for the A&P she often encountered difficult people because everyone eats- nasty people, as well as nice ones! She always looked at the people that gave her a hard time as a challenge. Her method was to “kill them with kindness.” In almost every instance she was able to turn negative relationships into positive ones. She was respectful and kind towards everyone. She used to advise me to give people a break because you don’t know what’s going on in their lives. She never judged people or held any prejudices or grudges. Furthermore, she never gossiped!

Mom’s work ethic was second to none! Although she didn’t command a huge salary, she treated her job like it was the most important one in the world! It was not uncommon for her to go in on her own time to straighten out problems balancing the money for the store when her bosses couldn’t figure it out. She was also very loyal to her employer, sticking with the same company for over 30 years despite low pay and working conditions that were frequently less than optimal.

On a couple of instances, I have encountered people that my mother supervised as teenagers working after school in the store. Since her career with the A&P spanned several decades there were quite a few of these individuals. (Back then, the two major sources in our area for after school employment was Caldor and the A&P.) In any case, whenever I ran into these former checkers and stock boys, they always attributed much of their success in later endeavors to the example set by my mother. (One person brought it to my attention that my mother was quite progressive for a woman because she worked full time outside the home before it was commonplace for a woman to do so “after the kids arrived.’ She wasn’t trying to make a political statement. She was just trying to meet her financial responsibilities as a parent and homeowner despite obstacles in her life.) Also, some of the teens that my mother supervised came from troubled backgrounds. I recall her offering these kids extra guidance and nurturing. She was strict but always compassionate with the high school kids and all of the people that worked for her.

The only thing more important to my mother than her job was her home and family. She always made sure I had the best of the stuff that matters most in life, for example- love, security, education, and discipline. And when her parents started getting up there in age and started experiencing health problems, my mother devoted all of her leisure time to caring for their needs. Mom and Dad took few vacations preferring to spend their days off from work on home improvement projects. On those rare occasions when they did travel, it was usually to visit mom’s brother in Louisville, KY or Dad’s family in NC.

At the heart of Mom’s values and strong moral code was faith in God and country. All living things were important to her. This included non human critters. For this reason we always had a houseful of pets plus tons of stray animals and wildlife hanging around our property because they could count on my mother for a meal. This is where my love for animals started as a child.

This is by far not an exhaustive list of my mother’s positive attributes. However, I am picturing her at this point giving me a look and telling me to “wrap it up. It’s the weekend and people have things to do. They can’t sit here listening to you all day!” Therefore I will take her unspoken advice and close here with a final message.

Through writing this speech I came to realize that a major purpose in my mother’s life was to teach me how to be a good person. For this I owe her infinite thanks. Reviewing her life was like looking at a report card for my own….I fair good on some points but not too well on others. Included with my farewells I am offering the promise that I will keep working to improve the areas of my life where I am capable of doing better in the battle of right vs. wrong. Everyone here can bear witness to this promise.

More than I have the words to tell you, I appreciate everyone coming today. Thank you.




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