tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98529492024-10-24T02:31:51.795-04:00Irreverant musings with a message... If you take life too seriously, this blog is not for you. But if you can find humor amidst the chaos, then read on, my friends!Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-13666825741160883712009-02-23T08:42:00.003-05:002009-02-23T09:02:23.055-05:00

When life gets too busy, too noisy, too crowded, or too whatever ... the best thing you can do for yourself is to get away.Seriously ... no matter what the news media tells you about the state of our economy, there's one thing worse than impending financial doom ... your own impending doom.What's the point of hoarding for a rainy day if you won't be alive to dance in the raindrops?So give

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-87519962764585618272009-02-11T05:56:00.008-05:002009-02-12T17:45:03.006-05:00

As someone who was born outside of this country, I have always felt that the pride I feel to be an American and gratefulness I feel living in the United States -- the greatest country in the world --is greater than that felt by someone who was born here.But I had never realized the depth of my pride and gratitude until my first visit to Washington, DC.I have travelled extensively throughout the

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-44047274918986503002009-01-25T16:42:00.019-05:002009-02-02T05:05:59.210-05:00

As Executive Producer of a television news Web site, I get paid to play on the Internet all day. Seriously, my job requires me to be logged into Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a host of other Web sites that most companies block their employees from accessing from their work computers.Having access to all this information teaches me valuable lessons that you just can't learn in school.Here is a

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-45876851024481857812008-11-28T09:07:00.020-05:002008-11-30T04:30:13.152-05:00

In retrospect, I had no right doing what I was doing at 5 a.m. on the Saturday that started my week-long Thanksgiving vacation.Even the nurses and doctors in the emergency room at Memorial Hospital Miramar ignored my blood splattered Gap sweatshirt to ask the question I would answer over and over again that morning.It all started at 4:30 that morning as I went through my pre-training ritual for a

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-21568206183257783872008-10-22T04:06:00.015-04:002008-11-28T09:07:20.562-05:00

Have you heard? The economy is in the toilet.Retailers say the economy is so bad, they had to get a jump start on the holiday season by having sales that encourage people to shop long before the start of the holiday season.That would explain the lit Christmas trees next to the Halloween ghouls and goblins at Home Depot. During a recent trip to Target, I was frightened not so much by the scary

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-12574027988040702322008-08-24T08:18:00.001-04:002008-08-24T08:20:25.411-04:00

Every morning I begin my day with a reading from God Calling, a small book with inspirational readings that set the pace for the rest of the day. Sometimes the message is so on target it scares me.“Nature laughs. Let her have her way with you,” read the message for today. As I write this, Tropical Storm Fay is scheduled to make a beeline through the Florida Straits to party with the Conchs on

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-19793892152094580512008-07-31T12:19:00.000-04:002008-07-31T12:34:39.067-04:00

While a family of four frolicked in the surf a few yards away from me, my father sat upstairs in our beautiful, beachside rented house -- fully clothed, playing a game of chess with himself on the dining room table.His excuse all this week for not enjoying our beachside haven is that the mosquitos gave him some kind of infection and the surf is too smelly and full of bacteria to swim in.It's all

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-33047199912689065372008-07-26T17:38:00.000-04:002008-07-26T18:06:59.064-04:00

Do you hear that?It's the sound of nothing. I can't hear a thing.But the Queen, her Royal Highness of 10-pound dachshund can hear it.Oh, wait, I hear it now too. It's the sound of grass growing through the sand dunes.We planned this vacation around her - Queenie - our soon to be 10-year-old black and tan doxie who is getting older, but neither she nor I are ready to accept it. We're both in

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-48007747999042246892008-07-21T04:49:00.000-04:002008-07-21T04:50:33.222-04:00

I consider myself a very handy person. I can take on just about any project and enjoy the process of learning by doing. I particularly love the sense of accomplishment that comes with mastering a new skill. Recently, for example, all three toilets in my house got together and decided to practice harmonizing The Ode to Leaky Toilet. It’s something that happens at least once a year. And every

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-62912362747460679102008-06-20T16:12:00.001-04:002008-06-21T14:22:29.407-04:00

You don't have to travel far in South Florida to find what will soon rival the construction crane as our most popular landmark.You know what I'm talking about ... storage facilities. Those windowless, multi-level behemoths with signs that promise everything from 24-hour secure access, to fully air-conditioned spaces that allow you to safely store stuff you haven't used in 10 years and probably

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-90248741550217397972008-06-17T18:29:00.000-04:002008-06-17T18:30:40.858-04:00

A couple of months ago, I shared with you a situation that I was facing that was cause for concern -- but not panic -- in my life.While I never reveal the details of what prompted that article, I received a few e-mails and calls from readers of this column who had an idea of what had happened.“You lost your job, didn’t you?” my friend Debbie asked.Well, not really. Although the television station

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-23648326778920573142008-04-01T15:59:00.000-04:002008-04-27T15:01:16.132-04:00

What’s Up With The Cotton Panties?By Barbara A. Besteni"I've heard it's more painful than childbirth."Those were the comforting words one of my colleagues said to me as I left work the day before surgery to correct what my doctor said was a "very large bunion" on my right foot.For years I'd noticed the big toe on that foot had started drifting to the right. For years, I ignored it.I've been a mid

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-34428165354932016492008-03-26T05:16:00.000-04:002008-04-25T06:00:09.432-04:00

"How are you?" asked a friend who had been avoiding me like the plague since hearing that I had gotten what he perceived to be horrible news last week.(I won't bore you with the details, but the news was a curveball I didn't see coming.)"Relieved and optimistic," I replied.The truth is the "horrible news" had lifted a burden from my shoulders. It was, in fact, the answer I'd been seeking to a

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-49161822539194577272008-02-12T04:15:00.000-05:002008-03-03T21:40:06.884-05:00

Hello, Tech SupportBy Barbara A. BesteniWhen it was time for God to hand out the gene that instinctively knows how to troubleshoot anything that has to do with computers, or ‘techy stuff’ as my friends call it, I apparently stood in line twice.I’m blessed with a knack for understanding and fixing technical issues that most people would gladly hand over thousands of dollars worth of their

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-76457019449166437872008-02-02T09:17:00.001-05:002009-02-01T16:25:46.311-05:00

Saturday Feb. 2, 2008 -- 8:32 a.m.This post will stray from my standard format and follow my observations during my first-ever Mardi Gras in New Orleans -- observations that are best shared on a daily, perhaps even hourly, basis.I was born in Cuba and raised in Brooklyn, New York. As a transplanted New Yorker now living in South Florida, nothing scares me.I've been in New Orleans for a week and

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-52293172368892569032007-12-27T04:22:00.000-05:002007-12-29T06:52:14.855-05:00

My life traveling companion and I recently returned home from a 17-day journey that took us through the Swiss and French Alps and culminated in the marvelous twin cities of Buda-Pest, Hungary.As with any trip of such magnitude, we spent months researching guidebooks and reading articles about the places we planned to visit. We watched countless hours of the Travel Channel and perused the Internet

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-91013614533355841152007-11-07T16:29:00.000-05:002007-11-09T10:13:33.954-05:00

As I write this, another Broward County Sheriff's Deputy has lost his life in the line of duty ... gunned down in cold blood in service to his community.As Managing Editor of NBC6.net, and a 25-year veteran of the news business, you would think that I'd be used to these stories by now. But the truth is, the longer I'm in this business, the more these kinds of stories affect me.I pray that the

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-88068746780381730962007-10-11T04:35:00.001-04:002007-10-11T04:35:58.541-04:00

Opportunity can come at any time in our lives and when it does, we must be prepared to seize the moment. Nothing – not race, economic class, or age – especially age -- can hold it back. What is meant to be, will be but in its own timeframe.It’s a lesson that became perfectly clear to me during my recent trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, a coast that was nearly obliterated by Hurricane Katrina

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-84896511916061752602007-09-24T04:54:00.000-04:002007-10-11T04:35:24.425-04:00

If life were a game of Jeopardy and the answer was “Live in the moment,” the correct question would be: What is the secret to enjoying life to fullest?Everyone from priests to therapists urge us to, “Be Mindful,” “Enjoy the Process,” and be present to whatever it is we’re doing instead of rushing around mindlessly checking things off our to do lists without taking time to enjoy the things

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-80149364645921359812007-07-16T04:56:00.000-04:002007-07-17T04:54:25.624-04:00

“You'll be 50 soon,” a wise friend said to me on my 40th birthday. At the time, I laughed at the absurdity of what she was saying. A fresh, new decade was ahead of me and 50 seemed so very far away.Nine years later, despite having enjoyed some of the greatest experiences life has to offer, I wonder where the time went.Here, in no particular order, are 10 lessons learned during that time.Eat,

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-5034546418505303652007-06-24T11:36:00.000-04:002007-06-24T12:09:35.496-04:00

We've all heard the Bible story of how God commanded Noah to build an ark, grab his family and a couple of every kind of animal and sit out and wait the great flood.This summer, that Bible story is a comedic blockbuster movie titled Evan Almighty.But did you ever stop to wonder why God was so insistent that Noah take the animals on board his cruise?If the animals didn't take up so much room,

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-85468581824365921842007-03-08T04:10:00.000-05:002008-01-17T04:04:22.166-05:00

A newly-released scientific study from the Journal Of Doctors Whose Purpose Is To Scare The Living Daylights Out Of You has concluded that if you do anything long enough or often enough it will kill you.Forget whatever previous studies by renowned scientists around the world said about anything. Right now, somewhere in a laboratory in a country you never heard of, another group of scientists and

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-23313836466318252042007-03-06T05:17:00.000-05:002007-03-06T05:19:00.388-05:00

I love to work out.There are few things in life that will keep me from my daily run, trip to the gym or at least thirty minutes of daily exercise. I’ve run through every climate you can imagine in just about every continent in the world. I’ve also been known to walk out of a business meeting or two because it was cutting into an appointment with my very expensive trainer.What started out as a New

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-1169982560397208312007-01-28T06:09:00.000-05:002007-05-04T06:08:03.278-04:00

Do You Hear Me Now?By Barbara A. BesteniThroughout our lives, we often hear sayings such as “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me,” “Silence is golden” and “God gave you two ears and one mouth. So, listen twice as much as you speak.”But how often do we take these saying to heart instead of just dismissing them as cliches?Take the one about sticks and stones, for

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852949.post-1169389270459373192007-01-21T09:05:00.000-05:002007-02-01T04:25:24.677-05:00

The inspiration for this month's article was sparked by a conversation I had with a colleague of mine while standing at the vending machine in our office lunchroom.I noticed that my friend was not his usual happy self. He confessed his wife was mad at him and he didn’t know what he had done wrong.Anyone who has ever been in a relationship longer than 10 seconds knows communication is the key to

Virtual Focushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02017815789512586059noreply@blogger.com0