Craig Ruvere

11Jul 2012 by CJ

Hard times are made easier when we’re reminded we’re not alone

Hard times fall upon everyone – no one is exempt. But the journey through the storm is always made easier when you’re reminded that you’re not alone. Today I wasn’t feeling particularly cheerful - plagued by worries beyond my control. Some days I just can’t snap myself out of this feeling of despair as the hard times seems to insurmountable. But then I retrieved the mail. There, addressed to me, was an envelope filled with smiley face stickers of all colors and sizes – one simply stating “Thinking of You.” I don’t know many people who wouldn’t smile at the sight. Inside was a greeting card from a very dear family friend which read, “Just want you to know I’m thinking about you…and how happy I am that you’re my…

10Jul 2012 by CJ

Google yourself some time – it’s amazing what’s out there

Life & Living

Every so often I “Google” my name – just to make sure there isn’t anything out there that I don’t know about. Thankfully, in all the years I’ve been doing this, nothing has surfaced to cause me any alarm. What amazes me though is just how much of my life is out there - articles, Tweets, presentations from previous employment, awards and even testimonials I’ve offered on retail websites. To say I feel a little violated that all of this is swirling around out there would be an understatement. However, what does surprise me is how much of my personal information somehow found its way onto the Internet. Maybe I’m just naïve. My home address is there and easily found. My wife’s name, parents, sister and even where I went…

22Jun 2012 by CJ

Kids will be kids, but they learn much of their behavior from parents

Information & Education, Youth

Some people say that “kids will be kids” whenever the subject of bullying fellow classmates comes about. But what do you say when children are bullying a 68-year-old grandmother? Well that’s just what happened to Karen Klein, a school bus monitor in Greece, New York. Yet again technology (in the wrong hands) caught the entire event on camera, which was eventually posted online - going viral in less than 24 hours. Tell me again why technology is a great thing for children to have? I watched the video in sheer disgust and horror. On this blog, I refuse to repeat any of the cruel and utterly heartless statements this group of young boys spouted at Klein, who bravely tried to ignore the torment. Follow the link below if you’re interested.…

22Jun 2012 by CJ

Graduates never let your ego prevent you from accepting a helping hand

Information & Education, Youth

For all the graduates. Well, another school year is almost over - to the cheers and delight of children and teenagers all across the country. It’s been 19 years since I proudly graduated from high school with family and friends looking on. Now instead of referring to myself as a “teenager” or “college graduate,” I find myself using terms like “husband” and “homeowner.” Boy, life certainly has a way of escaping you, doesn’t it? Over the last 19 years, I’ve gained invaluable lessons and have come to understand this: in our youth we’re determined to prove to everyone that we’re independent and wiser than our years might suggest. But as I sit here today at the age of 37, I can tell current graduates that there is no greater value…

07Jun 2012 by CJ

A recipe based on simplicity rather than complexity

Life & Living

My grandmother rarely had a recipe for her cooking. No, it was always a dash of this, a pinch of that and though it always tasted pleasing to the pallet, it was never the same thing twice. I’m just the opposite. I need step by step recipe instructions in order to create anything worth eating, and even then it can be a coin toss. The other night while meandering through a bookstore, I came across this acrylic box which housed five books – each about the size of a large encyclopedia volume – for those of us who still remember what that is. It was called “Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking”. “The authors have created a six-volume, 2,400-page set that reveals science-inspired techniques for preparing food that…