Why is there no Christmas Adam?

In response to last week’s questions, “Why is there no Christmas Adam?”, my dad’s beach buddy Bob knew that because Adam was long dead before there was any Christmas, but the story of Eve lives on for what she did to the poor guy.”

Many friends had trouble responding until they realized there is a Christmas Eve. My former colleague and golden owner Larry responded simply, “This is just sad.” My friend Tracey wrote, “I got it about 6 hours later. BTW, there's no New Year's Adam either!” “Are you serious?,” responded my org behavior friend Marya. “I totally got this one right away and I'm blonde, ha, ha!”

My friend Royce noted that “Eve was a princess and needed the recognition.”

While my birthday bud Jon said, “I didn't get it. Fortunately, I married someone smart.” And true to point, Jon’s wife Ruth noted “Because Adam (Sandler) wrote the Hannukah song!” Or could it be that my friend Marlene discovered that “The person naming things ‘didn’t give A-dam(n) about the holiday.”

My birthday bud Adam challenge, “Calling me out by name?! I’m Jewish and there's no Christmas in the Jewish faith silly!

An alternative conclusion came from colleague, Swany, who challenged that there is no Christmas Adam because of “Obamanomics.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm'

Do penguins’ feet freeze?

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy, have a good week and never regret anything that made you smile!

Hal

Yikes. My friend Ted provided quite the ‘adult’ response. Having been warned, Ted wrote, “Because Santa, being the manly and masculine stud that he is, would not want to come on Christmas Adam! Make sure you tell your little kiddies he loves to come on Christmas Eve. Ho Ho Ho that Eve was!”

Since Jews celebrate Chanukah by eating fried foods, is Judaism the root of Southern cooking?

In response to last week’s questions, “Since Jews celebrate Chanukah by eating fried foods, is Judaism the root of Southern cooking?”, my world traveler and sailing friend Vaughn believes this is not true because “all the wonderful Jewish dishes I know are based on chicken fat while the Southern dishes are based on pork fat otherwise known as lard.” My dad’s beach buddy Bob agreed, “Southerners don't use vegetable oil as many Jews do, and the batter is different unless you are in Miami and the Rabbi isn't watching.”

“Southern cooking origins came from mostly Irish and Scottish immigrants first settling in the southern states and was driven by the resources/livestock available at the time. So I say, no, Judaism is not the origin of Southern Cooking. However,” my colleague Swany observed, “Judaism’s candle lighting may be the contributing factor in the development of decorative sconces and the early success of Pier 1 Imports.”

My sailing friend and former colleague Ed was concerned about the post-script, writing, “... fried chicken or fried okra" What’s up with the "or" part? You CAN’T have fried chicken without okra! Makes me hungry just thinking about it.”

With all the fried food, my friend Richard wrote, “No, but it does explain why so many Jews become M.D.s. ‘Physician, heal thyself.’”

My sailing friend Rich, who could be considered a fried food expert because he works for UltraFryer, explained “Of course it is true as any one who knows their history of Charleston, SC can tell you. The charter for the Carolina colony drawn up by John Locke granted "Liberty of Conscience" specifically mentioning Jews, heathens and dissenters, thus granting the most liberal and true freedom of religion in the new world for a while. Up until 1830 Charleston had the largest Jewish population in the United States. To find out more about Jewish Southern history and cooking and get some recipes read "Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South" (University of North Carolina Press, Fall 2005) by Macie Cohen Ferris.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm'

Why is there no Christmas Adam?

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy, have a good week and never regret anything that made you smile!

PS: Great news: The days are getting longer. Today is the winter solstice.
Merry Christmas to all my Christian friends.

What does it mean to pre-board?

In response to last week’s questions, “What does it mean to pre-board?”, my Monty Python loving friend noted, “It's what you do before you watch paint dry. ;-) Actually, the correct answer is ‘a tree’.” My neighbor Al, who is pilot for a major airline, agreed that “Pre-board relates to being a tree.”

My friend Royce defined pre-board as “knowing that you have to go to all of those boring holiday parties. But wait! You said "pre-board". Are you referring to board as in lumber and/or board as in habitat renting?” Then my friend Marya explained that “Pre-board by my definition means the same thing as driving into a Wal-Mart parking lot: people LOSE their mind!”

And my dad’s beach buddy Bob declared, “It is a must do for those to be water boarded.” Ouch.

My friend Richard wisely observed that “It means that the English language is being bastardized yet again.” To prove this, my friend Alan, who travels too much, wrote, “For [airline name withheld], it means holding up the stampede of business travelers rushing to their first class seats. (They never actually allow enough time for the pre-boarders to get to the plane!)” And my college roomie John added, “Lately, I believe it means to spend more time at the airport than flying, or traveling to and from the airport.”

My colleague Swany was left pondering, “Why isn’t there a process for post-boarding?”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Aren't the 'good things that come to those who wait' just the leftovers from the people that got there first?

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy, have a good week and never regret anything that made you smile!

How is it possible the Flintstones celebrate Thanksgiving?

In response to last week’s questions, “How is it possible the Flintstones celebrate Thanksgiving?”, my birthday bud Jon explained, “Because the show is otherwise so damned realistic!” My sailing buddy Scott concluded, “because they were the bedrock of our early society.”

My neighbor Dick believes is it because, “Ever heard of dinosaur drumsticks?? Very filling!” And my dad’s beach buddy Bob added, “When you have a friend like Barney, every day is Thanksgiving Day.”

But then my pilot friend Ted explained, “The Flintstones didn’t actually celebrate Thanksgiving, In Bedrock they call it "Rocksgiving" . They a eat Turkasaurus big enough to tip over Fred's car. Then Fred would tell Pebbles and BamBam stories of how the PilGranites came to Bedrock on the MarbleFlower.” This is not actually listed on Wikipedia although 2010 will be the 50th anniversary of the Flintstones.

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

What does it mean to pre-board? Courtesy of George Carlin

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy, have a good week and never regret anything that made you smile!

How does a guess become educated?

In response to last week’s questions, “How does a guess become educated?”, my neighbor Dick concluded, “If you make it, it's an Educated Guess. If someone else makes it, it's a W.A.G.” My sailing friend Kurt added some clarification. “A WAG (wild assed guess) is when you know you know nothing about the subject. A SWAG (scientific wild assed guess) is when you think you know something about the subject; however, people don't like to admit they don't know something about something.”

My friend Richard knows that an educated guess is one “given by a smart-aleck” while my cousin Wes surmised that “a guess becomes "educated" when it’s made by an expert.”

My colleague Effie focused on the guess, saying “a guess becomes Educated when it knows enough to pretend it knows more than it knows. When my organizational behavior buddy Marya said, “All guesses are educated. It's just a matter of HOW educated!,” my colleague Swany concluded, “A guess becomes educated through years of hard work, dedication and perseverance; attending classes regularly and avoiding the typical temptations found during those impressionable school years. Or it’s home schooled.”

My friend Tracey deduced that “it’s only when it has been through the School of Thought” while my running buddy Tony wrote, “after it has been through a four year degree…or if it’s right.”

And my dad’s beach buddy Bob wrote, “When you vote him out of office.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

What do you do when you are blue? from my friend Blair

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy, have a good week and never regret anything that made you smile!

Hal

My colleague Effie’s long answer: A little guess grows up and is told by his parents that he needs to study hard and go to college after high-school. He didn’t listen and goofed off for a few years drifting from job to job. He met a nice girl guess and before long he had a little guess of his own. He decided it was time to make something of himself. He got accepted into college and began taking classes. A lot of the classes he took weren’t relevant to his career and he learned that many of his professors didn’t really know much beyond what they gleaned from the course text book. He began to question whether a college education would really help him succeed in life, but he stuck with it. A few years, a lot of time, tears, tests, and large financial investment later he earned his degree. He knew a LITTLE about a LOT of things, but not enough to give him the experience or skills to land a really nice job. He still had to start at the bottom like all the other guesses. However, for all his work and effort, he finally had a little piece of paper that certified him as an official Educated Guess. He started playing trivia every week and impressed all his guess buddies at the bar with his new-found “knowledge”.

When is your clothing an outfit and not a costume?

In response to last week’s questions, “When is your clothing an outfit and not a costume?”, my birthday bud Jon knows that “it’s an outfit when my wife picks it out.” My friend Tracey understands that it is “when your child approves of it.” And my friend Bill knew an outfit is “when you have to wear a tie.”

My sailing buddy Scott determined that costumes become outfits “the day after Halloween” while my cousin Wes wrote, “it’s a costume in the theater, playing pretend, or at a Halloween Party = costume. Otherwise outfit, unless like me, you are pretending to be normal, them my everyday outfit is a costume.” Or My pilot friend Ted recommended that we “ask either Cher or Madonna.”

My college roomie John cautioned, “Beware of the fashion police. Cosmo has fashion "Dos and Don'ts." I am sure we have all commented on someone's attire, but I have learned we all live in glass houses.”

While John offers reasonable advice, my colleague Effie wanted to agree, but “I’d normally say if you can go to Walmart and not get stared at, you’re wearing an outfit….but as www.peopleofwalmart.com has shown me, “costume” and “outfit” can be considered entirely subjective and is at the discretion of the wearer.” Note: If you haven’t seen this website, you are guaranteed a laugh. Consider bookmarking it for Hump Day.

My neighbor Al observed that it’s an outfit “when it’s a (ah) …. put on.” My friend Richard expounded on this, saying, “When you look at some of the “fashions” worn these days, I don’t think there’s much of a difference. If you wear something because you like it, it is an outfit. If you wear it because someone you like or admire wore something similar, it’s a costume.” To this, my neighbor Dick simplified things, writing, “Check the price tag. An "outfit" costs a lot more than a "costume"according to my wife's closet full of outfits.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob advised, “A costume is something worn at a party to impress someone. You dress up to display your better side. Of course ones better attributes are sometimes displayed without either clothes or costumes!”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

How does a guess become educated?

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy, have a good week and never regret anything that made you smile!

Will eating natural foods lead you to die of natural causes?

In response to last week’s questions, “Will eating natural foods lead you to die of natural causes?”, my friends Jodie, Stuart and Tracey all agreed, “Naturally.” My colleague Swany added, “Cue the song, Nature's Way by Spirit. It's nature's way of thinning the herd; everyone knows you need a little MSG in your life.

My dad’s beach buddy Bob advised, “Only if you do what comes naturally....spontaneously and quite often. Ahhh, the good life!” My cousin Wes was less optimistic when writing, “Of course, unless you manage to get run over by a bus or equivalent.”

My Earthlink colleague Lisa concluded, “Yes, as evidenced by Euell Gibbons! For those too young to remember, he was the spokesperson for Post Grape Nuts cereal. As I remember it (being a kid at the time), he was known for walking around the woods and advocating eating twigs and pinecones and stuff.” My birthday bud Jon added, “True story: when famous natural food guru Euell Gibbons died, the radio reported that "he died of natural causes."

My neighbor Dick shared, “There is no such thing as "natural food." All things (plant and animal) have to be killed before you eat them!” My sailing friend Rich observed, “If you pick the wrong mushrooms, it is possible. BTW: Is being eaten by a shark or a tiger considered a natural death?”

And then my friend Marlene found the positive: “Blair, Joe and I just returned from attending a wedding. We didn't eat too many "natural foods" there, so I guess we're safe!”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

When is your clothing an outfit and not a costume?

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week.

If prunes are dried plums, how can there possibly be prune juice?

In response to last week’s questions, “If prunes are dried plums, how can there possibly be prune juice?,” my sailing friend Kate explained, “That's why I never drink prune juice. It is odd and, well, why drink a suspicious juice when there are other straight-forward awesome tasting juices?” My neighbor Dick added that “Nobody drinks plum juice either...plum wine is a different story.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob noted that “Prunes are not usually served in their dried state. However, if one consumes the dried variety, they have a way of loosening things up to flow freely.”

The question left my colleague Effie a bit uneasy, as she wrote, “Old people are often referred to as “pruny” so maybe it’s made of squeezed old people. Hmmm, too much Soylent Green! ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_Green)

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Will eating natural foods lead you to die of natural causes? (from my friend Blair)

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week…and have fun this Halloween !

Hal

Congratulation to my friend Richard, a regular contributor whose daughter was bat mitzvahed this weekend.

If you are against picketing, how do you show it?”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

If prunes are dried plums, how can there possibly be prune juice? (from my birthday bud Jon G)

In response to last week’s questions, “If you are against picketing, how do you show it?”, my sailing and writing friend Rich would “put up a picket fence with a picket on guard to prevent any unwanted pickets from crossing to my picket free zone.” My colleague Effie was more simplistic, saying “Obvious! You sign a petition against picketing.”

My organizational dietician friend Marya found a new answer when she responded, “Use Facebook, ha, ha!” And my colleague Jeff was of a similar mind, suggesting “Send massive amounts of unsolicited e-mails to everyone you know, clog their spam filters and generally become an annoyance to everyone you know and don’t know.” My friend Richard went ‘old school,’ writing “Throw ripe tomatoes at the picketers?”

“With a tissue or handkerchief,” my neighbor Al said. “Oh! My bad!,” he added, “You said picketing, not picking.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob said, “You can turn your back to it, but you never want to back up into it for fear of getting "burred."

My colleague Swany isn’t about to turn his back as he wrote, “I’m against the people who are against picketing and if they’d only make a few signs, I’d know who they are.”

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week.

Hal

Mazel Tov to my friends Alan and Sue, whose son gets married this weekend.

Have you ever met a happy medium?

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

If you are against picketing, how do you show it? (from my friend Chris)

In response to last week’s questions, “Have you ever met a happy medium?”, my friend Blair observed, “Sure. In general (while recalling last week's Hmmm... “Are all generalizations dangerous?”…. mediums are very happy, especially as compared with being extra larges. My friend Tracey concurred when she wrote, “Like sitting in a Captain's chairs instead of a bench in 2nd row of the minivan. That's a happy medium. Any woman who loses weight and fits into a medium is very happy!”

My clever friend Stuart concluded, “Getting to know a medium, Rare. I do know one medium well but he is only a happy medium when it is also a birthday. Then he is a happy birthday.”

“I did, once,” my colleague Effie wrote. “She only channeled ghosts of Disney movies past…..in retrospect, maybe she wasn’t “happy” so much as “maniacally insane”.

A business colleague and friend Dave shared his first hand experience, “Yes, my great-grandmother, the tea leaf reader in our family. And yes, she did it as her actual profession. She once told I'd meet a guy named Hal that would ask about her long after she had passed. Hmmm......”

My running friend Tony wrote, “Not in these trying economic times.” However, my cousin Wes believes that “they are all happy. After all, they know the future and are able to manipulate events to enable happiness.” To this, my sailing friend Kurt challenged, “I once met a happy medium but I think she was a fraud.”

My friend Richard observed that “a medium is happy after being paid at the end of the séance.” My dad’s beach buddy Bob agreed, “Only one that was finally connected with the supernatural.”
My college roomie John proposed, “This may be dangerous, but politically speaking, I would like to see a happy medium, i.e. some moderation.”
My neighbor Dick replied, “I have met a "happy wiccan" (witch), is that close enough?”

And to start your week, my sailing friend Kate left me smiling when she wrote, “The painter in me believes that finger paints are a happy medium. Charcoal is somehow serious. Acrylic & Oil are sophisticated. Clay is fun, but finger paint is happy. Ask any kid.”

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week.

Are all generalizations dangerous?

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Have you ever met a happy medium? (with help from my friend Patti)

In response to last week’s questions, “Are all generalizations dangerous?”, leave it to my friend Vivian to question the question when she responded, “It depends how you define dangerous. I remember when our "elders" thought that Elvis "the pelvis" was dangerous, and all we girls did was swoon and scream --in a good girly way.”

My friend Alan, whose first born gets married later this month, determined “It depends what (s)he is a General of.”

“Generally speaking in general terms,” my colleague Jeff wrote, “I would say that all generalization are generally dangerous.” My colleague Effie added, “Yes, just as the only absolute truth is that there are no absolute truths, and the only thing that never changes is that everything always changes.”

My sailing buddy Scott wrote, “Actually, all generalizations are wrong…even this one.” My colleague Swany challenged, “Only when they come from the narrowminded, i.e. Rush Limbaugh.”

Yet my dad’s beach buddy Bob believes “the ones that are dangerous are those that never get to the point....and waste your time.” As support, my neighbor Al shared psychologist Abraham Maslow’s theory called Eupsychian Management Policy (http://www.maslow.org/sub/assumptions.php). Three of Maslow’s assumptions are

1. Assume everyone is to be trusted.
2. Assume everyone is to be informed as completely as possible of as many facts and truths as possible, i.e., everything relevant to the situation.
3. Assume in all your people the impulse to achieve…
Now those will make you go Hmmm.

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week.

What would you touch with a 10 ft pole?

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Are all generalizations dangerous?

In response to last week’s questions, “What would you touch with a 10 ft pole?,” my sailing friend Scott put an immediate smile on my face when he responded “a spinnaker.” My sailing and writing friend Rich, also has a sail thought when he responded that his mast would “touch a nine foot high bridge.”

My friend Tracey who is also in Marietta concluded,“The street from my boat during all this flooding. It really helps to live on a hill.”

My soon-to-be-sailing friend Bruce realized he would touch “the handle” while my dad’s beach buddy Bob noted simply, “Obviously an item that is ten feet away.” My organizational behavior friend Marya said she’d touch “a handsome firefighter.”

My colleague Swany shared that he wouldn’t touch a live electrical wire, a skunk and Janet Reno but would touch a government run Health Care system, Madonna and freshly laid dog poop.”

Answering the question from another perspective, my neighbor Dick said he “doesn’t know.....I’ve never seen a Polish guy 10 feet tall.” My friend Richard apparently has because he wrote, “the start of a Polish basketball team, obviously!” To this, my college roomie John added that he would touch “the basketball rim” while my birthday bud Jon said he’d touch “a nine foot Czech.”

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week.

If you are a kleptomaniac, what can you take for it?

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

What would you touch with a 10 ft pole?

In response to last week’s questions, “If you are a kleptomaniac, what can you take for it?,” my dad, my college roomie John and my friend Bob responded, “Anything you can get your hands on (seems like an obvious choice).” My friend Richard added, “Anything that isn't nailed down. And if it can be pried loose, it isn't nailed down any more.”

My birthday buddy Jon, “Is there anything you wouldn’t take for it?”

My sailing and quilting friend Jodie concluded, “Whatever you “take”, it would have to be over the counter. Unless of course you work in the pharmacy.” My colleague Chris realized, “You could "take" some prescribed medicine if you knew what it was that caused it. But I don't think you can steal the psychiatric sessions that would enable you to know which medicine to steal...”

“It is called "an overabundance pill", explained my dad’s beach buddy Bob. “It fills you up so you just cannot handle anymore!” Yet my neighbor Stan had to way to counter any side effects of such a pill, “This is a real no brainer. You take Klepto-Bismol.”

My colleague Jeff wrote, “I had the answer, but someone swiped it! Reminds me of Johnny Carson’s Copper Clapper Caper http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVkZZsS-66c .”

My neighbor Al thought the kleptomanic would take “a ride to court and jail” and my colleague Bob added, “5 to 10 years.”

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week.

Why is abbreviation such a long word?

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

If you are a kleptomaniac, what can you take for it?

In response to last week’s questions, “Why is abbreviation such a long word? ”, my friend Tracey realized it’s “because abbr. doesn't really spell anything.” To which my flustered sailing and writing friend Rich added, ”It’s yet another oddity of the English language that was given by Satan to Miss Clara Bowen, my eighth grade English teacher to torture, confuse and destroy me with. The woman would have flunked Shakespeare and Twain.”

On a more positive note, my friend Richard wrote, “Isn't the point of an abbreviation to "make a long story short"? So a word has to be long before it can be shortened, right?” To this, my friend Kevin deduced, “by being able to be abbreviated, it leads by example!” And my running buddy Tony added, “and thus, to be better appreciated it when you abbreviate it.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob replied, “It’s because there are so many synonyms.” And my friend Marlene responded, “Why is wisdom such a short word?”

While my neighbor Al came up with what he believes is the truth, (see below), my cable marketing friend Mark sent :-), which I often receive and enjoy knowing that people have a smile on their face on Monday morning.

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week…and L’shana tova.

Hal

The truth according to Al: "It all stems for the male ego and the need to demonstrate phallic prowess in order to attract a suitable mate.

Abbreviation comes from the Latin abbreviationem and the past participle of abbreviare meant to make brief. Ad = "to"; breviare, from brevis means shorten, little, or shallow. Now most scholars argue over the "brief" part. Because a brief can refer to the shortening of a letter and was used as a term to summarize a Papal letter. But "brief" can also mean a pair of underwear or under shorts.

Now when you are discussing the male undershorts and its intent to hold certain physical attributes securely, one would certainly not want to use the terms "shorten" or "make little". However, when the knights of old would come in from the cold their squire would assist them with the removal of armor. Having spent the day clad in a metal suit and the cold of the European weather would result in a condition which modern medicine calls "shrinkage." (ref; the May 1994, "The Hamptons" episode of Seinfeld aka "The Shrinkage" episode.)
Naturally, not wanting the word to spread around the castle and jeopardize the knight's chances with the young maidens, and the lack of modern medical science to fully understand the condition, the knight's lack of a proper extension of manliness was blamed on abbreviation.

I'm sorry. What was the question? "

Can a stupid person be a smart-ass?

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Why is abbreviation such a long word? from my neighbor Dick

In response to last week’s questions, “Can a stupid person be a smart-ass?”, my sailing and writing friend Rich responded, “1. My wife has often referred to me as being both stupid and a smart ass, so I am going to go with yes. As a woman, she is rarely wrong. Rarely? There I go again being both stupid and a smart ass. 2. Being a smart-ass to someone who can kick your ass makes you kinda stupid.”

My friend Richard declared, “I believe the technical term for this disorder is "cranio-rectal inversion" (A.K.A. "head up the _ss"), and, unfortunately, no one is immune to it.” To this, my sailing friend Kate added, “see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Bonaduce.”

“Aren't all smart-asses stupid?”, asked my sailing friend Vaughn. “Isn’t it stupid to prove that you are a smart-ass?” My neighbor Al concurred, “Usually when someone demonstrates their smart-ass ability, they are also flashing their stupidity sign.”

“If you don't know the answer to this,” my neighbor Dick wrote, “you've never walked the halls of the U.S. Congress.” My DC-based birthday bud Jon added, “Have we already forgotten the last administration?”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob put it succinctly, “Only if he is standing behind it and talking it up.”
My pilot and cycling buddy Ted, and running buddy Tony wrote, “When a person is really stupid, they have their brains up their ass. Well there you have it! A ‘Smart Ass.’" My colleague Jeff added, “or someone who can sit on a gallon of ice cream and tell you what flavor it is!”

“How smart are the people on this thread?” questioned my colleague Swany. “We may have the answer among us.” To this, my college roomie wrote, “I do not think so. I think you need smarts to be a smart-ass. ”

My organizational behavior friend Marya and my former colleague Larry wrote, “I know many stupid people who are smart-asses. However, as my friend Steve always says, it's better than bein' a dumb ass.”

Go outside and play sometime. Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week…

Can you have clean dirt?

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Can a stupid person be a smart-ass? from my friend Mike for the end of the summer

In response to last week’s questions, “Can you have clean dirt ?”, my friend Tracey assured me, “Yes, that's where the five second rule applies.” My cousin Wes explained Tracey’s rule, “Dirt that is virus and bacteria free would meet standards for edibility and thus be clean.”

My neighbor Al wrote, “Yes, It's called soft porn. Or if you want to be serious .... Yes you can. There is such a thing as sterile dirt. Oddly plants won't grow in it.”

Al then added my college roomie John agreed with, “If you are trying to be mean and dig up some dirt on someone, and you find out that they are really a great person….Yeah right! Like no one has a skeleton in their closet. Well maybe just an embarrassing skeleton.”

My dentist friend Ted concluded, “Absolutely--Give me all your dirt and I will sterilize it in the Autoclave!”

I can’t be sure which answer my sailing friend Vaughn referred to when she added, “Absolutely, I just didn't get any; it cost more.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob knew that “Clean Dirt comes from clean rooms. They have them in all plants that produce High Purity products.” To this, my ceramics and engineering friend Blair added, “Not only can you have clean dirt, but you can have calibrated clean dirt. Do you want small particles (dust) or large particles (rocks)? Do you want a specific color - red, sienna, copper, grey, charcoal, black? Hard dirt or soft dirt? Dirt can be big business! Of course, you need to be careful when you wash it or you can end up with a mudpie….”

My sailing friend Kate recalled “My first thoughts were about childhood and playing outside…and they brought a smile to my face. Yes, there is good, clean dirt! It's the kind that we managed to get all over our clothes by the time we came in from a day of exploring the great outdoors when we were kids. Do today's internet-savvy, X-box addicted kids even know what that is?”

Go outside and play sometime. Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week…

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Can you have clean dirt ?

In response to last week’s questions, “If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?“, my dad’s beach buddy Bob concluded, “No, it comes from ‘mor_on the ball.” My friend Kevin added, “Actually, it's morasses that come from morons.”

My birthday bud Jon said, yes, “it explains the Moral Majority” and my college roomie John added, “The obvious answer is morons give us politicians.”

My colleague Swany noted the words of the immoral (not immortal) Bill Clinton, “Politics gives guys so much power that they tend to behave badly around women. And I hope I never get into that.”

My sailing and writing friend Rich “fears this statement is correct - Exhibit A, reality tv (with the exception of the Deadliest Catch).”

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week…

Hal

PS: My very punny friend Richard wanted all to know that this line of thinking does raise other questions:
• Does lumberjacking skill result from being an axon?
• Does banality result from being a boron?
• Does slickness result from being a teflon?
• Does contentiousness result from being an argon?
• Does a soprano singing voice result from being a trillion?
• Does a devil-may-care attitude result from being a hellion? (Of course, the answer to that one is propbably "yes.")
I could go further, but there's probably no sense in going "-on and -on." (Oy! Sorry about that.)

What is the Roman Numeral for zero?

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

In response to last week’s questions, “What is the Roman Numeral for zero?”, my college rommie, John, who I saw this past week for the first time in XX years and is still looking well, shared his actuarial understanding, “XO – XO”. Similarly, my videographer friend Ivan explained, “It is accepted practice to use subtractive notation in Roman Numerals, so that instead of IIII for 4, four becomes lV. Using this strategy, I conclude that placing a I in front of another I therefore subtracts I from I, resulting in zero. It looks like this: II. See? Easy. So whenever you see 2, think zero!” All it takes is a little logic and you can figure most things out. Now I feel qualified to teach your kids in your local public school.”

While my colleague Swany also thought it was “I minus I,” my Dad’s beach buddy applied shorthand by writing “-I”.

My sailing friend Vaughn, who apparently speaks many languages, wrote, “The Roman Numeral for zero is "N" for nothing, null, nada.” However, Ivan thought “the rarely used ‘N’ stood for Nulla,” To this, my sailing and writing friend Rich added, “In Ancient Rome "Everybody was Somebody.’ The town of Snellville has no zeros either because "Everybody is Somebody".”

My cousin Wes noted, “Being the supercivilization, Romans never ran out of anything, hence they had no use for a zero. As they were counting the remaining troops after a battle, zero was not needed since zero person would not be alive to write.”

My friend Ivan countered, “The Roman system was changed slightly in the middle ages, as everyone knows. Since people don't much like the middle ages, you know, their 40's, 50's, the zero has been done away with much the way hoteliers have removed 13 when numbering the floors.”

My woodcarving and sailing friend Doug responded, “I can't think of a funny answer, but the real answer is "N/A" The Romans didn't believe in the concept of nothing being a number. That's why there was no year Zero. The Christians believe Jesus was born in the year One. That's why the millenium started in the year 2001 and not 2000.”

“So we can say that the Romans had no nothing,” wrote Doug’s and my friend Stuart. “Since that is a double-negative, I guess they had something.”

Alas, my birthday bud Jon, did find a Roman Zero on Broadway (see link above).

My sailing friend and Renaissance man Mike concluded, “Roman numerals were not positional (like our 0-9 Base 10 system) so zero wasn’t necessary:
So let’s go sailing, or at least drink rum and play with model trains.”

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week…

Hal

Want to know more? My friend Stuart wrote, “The concept of zero was developed by the Hindus around 9th century CE. Babylonians and Olmecs used zero as a placeholder for writing numbers much earlier, but zero was not used in calculation. The Romans did not need such a place holder. By the way, if you have a sick mind like mine and really want to learn some math history, read ZERO, The Biography of a Dangerous Idea, by Charles Seife or go to http://www.mathematische-basteleien.de/romannumerals.htm, as my friend Mike suggested.

Does life have inertia?

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

What is the Roman Numeral for zero? from my neighbor Al

In response to last week’s questions, “Does life have inertia?”, my sailing friend Kate wrote assuredly, “Yes, life has inertia. Anyone doubting this need only witness how many times I need to swat the sleep button on my alarm clock in the morning!
My friend Tracey agreed that life has inertia, writing “It's what causes most midlife crises.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob was not so sure as he responded, “For a limited period of time then it peters out like many other things that cannot be eternally sustained.” My cousin Wes responded, “Certainly. The older we get the more inertia our lives have. That's way "time flies" and everyone I know is amazed it's August 2010 already.”

“This leads to deep thought” observed my college roomie John. “Living requires inertia, one cannot just sit there and expect life to happen, you have to get up and do something about it. Wow, this is much too deep, I need to lie down.”

My flying friend Ted wrote, “Ask any physicist, he will tell you inertia is the tendency of all matter to resist changes to its state of kinetic energy. Ask any old married physicist, he will tell you that his energy state tends to resist changes --- always low! Ask David Lee Roth after watching his MTV videos; that man has Inertia. He never stops moving!!” My wife tells me I have too much inertia if I stay in the bathroom too long. Just can't get moving. Oops TMI. Work seems to have too much inertia these day; it never ceases. I may have too much inertia if I don't quit writing this.”

“Life does not have inertia because inertia does not exist,” challenged my sailing friend Vaughn. “All life is made of atoms that are made of electrons that are in constant motion. Humans conceived of inertia to give our minds a rest, otherwise we would be dizzy all the time. Hmmm, maybe that's what is wrong with me, I am dizzy.”
My sailing and writing friend Rich concluded, “All lives hurtling down life's highway have inertia. Never forget that it takes an outside force to overcome inertia. Unlike physics, there is no calculating what your force will do to change the inertia of another's life. Use it wisely.” (Also see my friend Swany’s response below.)
Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

Hal

Seriously folks. “This is another way of asking is life’s path predetermined, or do we believe in fate?” wrote my analytical colleague Swany. The obstacles we encounter and decisions we make cause our path to change throughout our life but we are constantly moving in some direction. We can only hope that when we do land in a negative situation, we make another decision which corrects our path and sets the course back to a positive conclusion. Absolutely life has inertia, and, our human decisions affect our spiritual fate.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' " (this is a hard one):

Does life have inertia? from my friend Michelle

In response to last week’s questions, “Can you imagine “more than you can imagine”?”, my comedic friend Bruce, colleague Swany and birthday bud Jon all agreed, “I can only imagine that you can.” My friend Ed added, “you can if you can imagine the unimaginable, to which my Disney-adoring friend Alan wrote, “Walt Disney said "It's kind of fun to do the impossible". Isn't that "more than you can imagine"?”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob concluded, “I am often amazed that I had not imagined that to be the case.”

While my sailing friend Scott wrote, “No,” my college roomie John shared, “It is more than I can imagine that we are going to get together in 2 weeks. It’s been, what, 20 years?”

“Have you ever had anesthesia or painkillers?”, asked my friend Tracey. “You can imagine all sorts of things you never thought you could imagine.”

“Here comes the educator in me,” wrote my friend Vivian. “When you push yourself to imagine more and perhaps "out of the box," that's when you become creative.” My colleague Jeff agreed, saying, “for me, that would require thinking outside the box (in this case would be my head). When I have streams of consciousness, I would say ”If I imagine I could, then I can!””

And my sailing, writing friend Rich concluded, “Going to the Moon 40 years ago was beyond the imagination of most. And for those who made it possible, they imagined it as only the first step.”

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

Hal

When something fades in the sun, where does the color go?

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

When are you a nudist (or naturalist) and when are you an exhibitionist? (from a strategy discussion with my friends Daren and Mark)

In response to last week’s questions, “When something fades in the sun, where does the color go?”, my friend Richard concluded that “all the colors pool together in heaven and get distributed in the form of a tan among people who are blessed to have adequate amounts of photopigment in their skin. Since I am photopigment challenged, I am not a recipient of this benefit. People like me only get melanoma.”

My friend Vivian learned differently. “An American Indian myth stated that when wild flowers no longer have their colors, the colors have risen to the sky and have become part of a rainbow. Perhaps that is true of all things that have color and fade.” To this, my friend Tracey agreed, saying “Duh! They save all those calls for rainbows. However, my neighbor Al responded with “Barney, the purple dinosaur, and the Teletubbies would tell you that is where the rainbows get their color. – Oh is that ever sick! ”

My college roomie John saw a dark side when he wrote, “When the color fades, it evaporates and we breathe it into our lungs. All the colors come together to form more brown dung in our bodies.”

My birthday bud Jon, paralleling Einstein saying that energy is never created or destroyed, said that the colors go “back into the sun. As we all know, the white light from the sun is really made up of all different colors of the spectrum. This is how the sun replenishes the colors it needs.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob described this as “it is absorbed and swallowed up, sort of like dropping a strawberry into a bowl of whipped cream.” My sailing friend Kurt said it’s “the same place the light goes when you turn off the switch.”

Then my sailing and writing friend Rich realized that the colors “become character! For years my wife has tried to toss out my collection of character filled shorts, tees and hats. If only they could talk, what a tale they could tell. Upon further review it's probably a good thing that they can't.”
Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

If you need a permit to have a gun, then shouldn’t you need one for having kids?

In response to last week’s questions, my sailing friend and artisan Kurt wrote, “don't women already have licensing authority on having children?” My neighbor Al came to the same conclusion when he wrote, “You only need a permit to carry a concealed weapon (gun, knife etc). Having a gun is an individual choice (unless you live in Kennesaw). In a similar way, you don’t need a permit to have sex with yourself (although the nuns would tell you that you’ll go blind). You do need a permit to have a baby: both sides have to agree. Unfortunately, we have a lot of stupid people having both.”

In support of such a permit, my running friend Tony wrote, “The concept of making individuals have to learn the rules and be tested on them, including demonstrating their abilities in a "road test" would be a novel idea for those looking to be parents. When you see kids having kids before they can legally drive it is a little hard to keep your opinions to yourself.” But my dad’s beach buddy Bob replied, “No worry, too many people are shooting blanks these days. If we have anymore permits, we will disappear from the earth as a species.”

“Only if you are going to shoot them, my friend Tracey recommends. “It seems the people who are most equipped to have children have problems doing so. However, young, unmarried, uneducated people seem more fertile than anyone else!”

My friend Alan voiced his opposition to a procreation permit, saying “Sue & I might not be able to get a permit. Fortunately, we have been blessed with Sam & Jonathan.” My friend Richard also opposed the permit while offering support for “a clean bill of health from a qualified mental health professional.”

“I would not be surprised if we don't see one once we get a government single-payer health care system in place,” my cousin Wes observed, “On the other hand, I think a permit of children would be very appropriate if we reverted to the Old Testament concept that it is the responsibility of parents to "cut off" (execute) their criminal children. That way parents may consider their child rearing responsibilities very carefully. And perhaps we could reduce the budgetary strain our penal system places on the economy.”

My world traveling friend Karen shared, “Actually, in China you do need a permit to have kids! With the government’s one-child policy, people have to apply for permission (and usually pay a heavy “tax”) for any kids after the first. Lots of Chinese put their daughters up for adoption so they can try again for a son who will care for them in their old age. Imagine what that’s like!”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

When something fades in the sun, where does the color go? (from my neighbor Al)

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

Hal

My cousin Valarie, who enjoyed the lay/lie discussion, observed in last week’s question that the antecedent for having "one" is "gun" rather than "permit." She asked, “are you saying we need a gun for having kids?”

If 80% of people can't use “lay/lie” correctly, why don't we make those words interchangeable?

In response to last week’s questions, “If 80% of people can't use “lay/lie” correctly, why don't we make those words interchangeable?”, my friend Tracey may have been thinking forward when she wrote, “Are you telling me they aren't?”

My friend Vivian knew that “It wouldn't be so much fun especially when you have a nutty English teacher in high school trying to teach our class of goofy teenagers about lie/lay. Of course, our minds weren't always in the best place…Who us?” My flying friend Ted was a bit more mischievous when he responded, “If we were allowed to use these words interchangeably, we would have no way to piss off our English teachers.” Equally mischievous, my colleague Bill maintains his respect for his high school English teacher, Mrs. Bland.

While my cousin Valarie noted, “There's nothing humorous about dumbing down; eventually we'd return to the days when the masses couldn't read or write and have to paint frescoes on the wall to tell our stories,” her daughter Adare shared her feelings, “Ignorance is not bliss; ignorance is irritating."

My sailing friend Kate queried, “Well, it is sort of a dirty trick that the past tense of lie is lay. What is up with that?”

My neighbor Dick didn’t seem worried as he responded, “You know that 65.5% of all statistics are made up out of thin air (like this one).”

My birthday bud Jon is OK with the change “especially since many people will lie (in either meaning) for a lay.” Possibly recalling his high school youth or his current (SC) governor, my dad’s beach buddy Bob observed, “You may lie about with whom you lay on occasion.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

If you need a permit to have a gun, then shouldn’t you need one for
having kids? (from my friend Diane)

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

Hal

From last week, my colleague Tara concluded “This one was just wrong…. LOL” while my neighbor Dick observed, “Did you ever wonder why the topic of "being naked" got so many responses? Must be a lot of "closet" nudists here.”

Why are people allowed to put naked statues outside but why can't we run outside naked?

In response to last week’s question, “Why are people allowed to put naked statues outside but why can't we run outside naked?”, my neighbor kept Tracey’s joke running by responding, “Have you seen MY relatives?” He added, “Statues of naked people are typically beautiful idealized human forms. The reality is that real naked humans are not.”

While my sailing friend John, provides his practicing-nudist perspective at the end of this email, my friend Richard concluded that “Statues don't have to worry about melanoma” while my friend Ed added “two words, “cold” and “shrinkage”. My birthday bud Jon noted that statues can be naked “because statues do not "respond" to stimulating stimuli.”

My sailing friend Vaughn wrote, “The statues are well proportioned and nothing shifts,” to which my dad’s beach buddy Bob said we can run outside “if you're stiff enough.”

My running friend Tony had another concern about shifts when he wrote, “It is the ‘mobility factor’ (which my cousin Wes described “as bouncing”) that prevents us from running in the nude, plus where do you put your rehydration/salt material without pockets.”

“Maybe it’s a plot by the fashionistas,” wrote my friend Blair. “Show your perfect bodies in sculptures in public, then when you see reality in your own home mirror you are more tempted than ever to buy the latest “in style” offering to distract people from what you REALLY look like!” My sailing friend Kate observed, “Artistic statues are idyllic - the Venus de Milo and King David, for example. Real people come in all shapes and sizes. Seeing some people naked could be awkward or even downright disturbing. Going to the grocery store should not be a potentially traumatic event!”

My friends Royce and Vivian and neighbor Dick agreed, “Because, in the majority of cases, the statues look better than the real thing,” which my neighbor Stan described as “the cream of man/woman hood. Now consider what common folk look like running around naked.” My quality friend Marya added, “Dude, there are just some people (and that includes me, I'm not self deprecating, I'm just damn honest) that should NOT be outside naked!” My flying friend Ted added, “We should enjoy the protection of not running nudist affords our eyes.”
My friend Alan queried, “Have you seen the people who put out those statues?”

And my sailing, writing friend Rich concluded, “In the south one cannot run naked. You can, however, run nekkid.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

If 80% of people can't use “lay/lie” correctly, why don't we make those words interchangeable?” (from my friend Ivan)

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

Hal

From John: First of all, you’re making the assumption that you can’t run outside naked. This assumption is absolutely invalid!! In fact, the assumption you make hints that you might actually suffer from gymnophobia(*). These are people who experience anxiety about seeing others naked (or being seen naked, or both).

You CAN run outside naked. Anytime you want. People chose not to do it because their country/state/community may prosecute them for doing so. This is certainly not the case around the world, and in many specific cases within the U.S. Nudity is completely legal in Spain (said to be the most nudist-friendly country in the world. See http://www.nudistday.com/index.php/article/public-nudity-is-completely-legal-in-spain.html In some states, such as Oregon, public nudity is legal and protected as free speech, as long as there is not the “intent to arouse”. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_nudity

There are many naturist resorts (such as Bell Acres, just north of Atlanta) where running outside naked is clearly encouraged. And of course, there are events where nudity is extremely common and not prosecuted, such as the Burning Man festival.

Just some things to think about ….

(*)Note: While Microsoft doesn’t know of this word, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gymnophobia confirmed Wikipedia’s entry and should not be confused with gynophobia, which is a fear of certain bodies.

If unique is one of a kind, how can you be very unique?

In response to last week’s question, “If unique is one of a kind, how can you be very unique?”, my birthday bud Jon and sailing videographer Ivan responded, “The same way you can be a little pregnant.” Ivan added, “I thought unique was binary? Like being pregnant. If I flip a coin, can it be very heads?”

My friend Tracey quipped, “Have you ever met any of my relatives?”

My sailing and writing buddy Rich agreed with Blair for a different reason. “While grammatically incorrect there are times where only a description of very unique will do. Dancing on a table at the Christmas party may make you unique, doing it naked makes you very unique .”

My friend Marlene, who well knows her English, suggested, “you do not have to be totally unique--just unique in special ways.” My musically inclined friend Blair, waxed poetically, “’Very’ gives a little extra distinction or oomph to the "unique" label. For example...every snowflake is unique, BUT some snowflakes are big, plump, juicy mini-snowballs or large, wispy, feathery works of art - so I'd call them VERY unique.”

My friend Richard concluded, “Be none of a kind?” to which my dad’s beach buddy Bob added, “You must be a ZERO, a nothing, un nada, a........, but there are so many of them they just cannot be Unique!”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Do we need a little more chlorine added to the gene pool ?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

Hal

Ivan’s Rant: Don't get me started. This is one of my pet peeves of handling the English language. “Unique” used to be a powerful word.

If English is a living language, and therefore I am supposed to accept that things change, I suggest that as a living being, the language just got sick. To put it in a way even the IM's of the world (ignorant masses) can understand, the language took a major hit point to its manna, or health. It needs a little nurturing to get it back to life!

If the literary giants were to change something to make the language grow, I am all for it. If the dumb masses change it so they can use a big word or sound intelligent then I am not for it. Seems most words are changing out of ignorance. What a shame. Did you know that infer now means imply? Look it up, third definition of infer is to imply. Dammit all if the Dumbmasses haven't taken a perfectly good word and made it it's opposite!

What exactly can you get at a general store?

In response to last week’s question, “What exactly can you get at a general store?”, my dad’s beach buddy Bob understands that you’d get “A general of course. You have to go elsewhere to find Lieutenants, and privates are in bathrooms.”

My witty friend Richard added, “You can get a commanding officer from the Army, Marines, or Air Force, of course. Used to be you could also get an Admiral television, but that is no longer true, since Admiral went out of business in 1979. And General Motors vehicles are looking iffy. However, General Electric and General Tires are still in play --- generally speaking.

My neighbor Al observed that “You can get lots of stuff .... just nothing specific.” Yet my birthday bud Jon believes you can get “major appliances” while my friend Kevin believes you can get “tin soldiers.”

My sailing and electric train friend Mike knows that you can get “Anyone above the rank of colonel, of course!”, to which my friend Royce suggested, “a Patton, Eisenhower, Peatreus.” My sailing and writing buddy Rich added some details to these options. “The U.S. Grant model is a great drinking buddy. If you need a fire started, then I would recommend a Sherman. The MacArthur model has a special return policy so make sure you read the fine print. If your tastes run more to the nautical then visit the Army / Navy store and pick up a used Ensign dirt cheap, very handy to have around to heap abuse on, but not much good for anything else.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

If unique is one of a kind, how can you be very unique?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

In response to last week’s question, “At what age is a baby no longer a baby?”, my wise friend Richard concluded, “I think it's when they start paying for rent and food. It's sort of like the old debate about when life begins.” Richard continued, “Some believe it begins at the moment of conception, others believe it's when the fetus is viable outside the womb. Life actually begins when the last kid leaves for college and the dog dies.”

My soon-to-be-biking friend Ed understands that “the Jewish view is when they graduate from Med school; however, my personal view is when they support themselves.” My cousin Wes had a similar thought, “A baby is no longer a baby when (s)he moves out and before (s)he returns home to live with Mom and Dad. Of course, Mom and Dad always think their baby is a baby which is why they let them move back home.”

My neighbor Al was told, “If it's a man .... my wife would say the age on his tombstone.”

My neighbor Dick happily replied, “Age is not a factor, some people (like me) refuse to "grow up"!” to which my dad’s beach buddy Bob agreed, “when it matures.” My flying friend Ted, however, thinks he him, “it will be 50! Phew, I've got a few years left!”

My birthday bud Jon, who is a father of 2, wrote, “When he or she says ’stop calling me a baby.’”
My friend Alan responded, “Your baby is always your baby…at least that's what my mom says!” My college roomie John concurred, “As long as Mom is around, you will always be her baby!” and considering that John is one of 13, that makes his mom an authority. And officially from a mom, my friend Tracey wrote, “To a mother, it’s when she dies. My boys will always be my babies; even the 6' tall 14 year old! I'm still my mother's baby.”

My temple friend Vivian, who is a mother and grandmother, summarized it all with, “I will always treat and respect my grown children as adults, but in my heart they will forever be my babies. The love, care, and concern never changes no matter what age they attain.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

What exactly can you get at a general store?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

Do you turn the air conditioning up or down to get warm?

In response to last week’s questions, “Do you turn the air conditioning up or down to get warm?”, my college roomie John observed, “it seems that one needs to say something like, "turn the A/C up, it's too cold in here". I say turn up the A/C to get warm; that’s how the thermostat looks. Also, I will bet that many of us grew up without A/C (I did), but now I hear people moan loudly if they do not have A/C in the summer. Personally, I prefer to sweat than shiver.”

My friend Tracey concluded, “You turn the A/C fan down to get warmer although you turn the A/C temp up to get warmer.” My dad referred to his engineering experience and said, “It’s about the thermostat. I turn the thermostat down if I want the air conditioning to run; the opposite would be true if you want the heating to run”…..unless, as my friend Royce wrote, “you have a dyslexic installer.”

My friend Ed observed, “This is the A/C paradox: You turn the A/C down and the temperature goes down, but your electric bill goes up and you end up getting hotter. You turn the A/C up and the temperature goes up, but the bill goes down and you get cooler. Positive feedback. Thermal runaway.”

Many of my friends, including Blair, her mother Marlene, Kurt and Richard all agreed simply, “You turn it off” while my dad’s beach buddy Bob said, “Leave it along because it might be just right where it is.”

“In a Georgia summer,” my published friend Kathleen wrote, “I just walk out on the porch and I get warm, then hot...then go back inside to get comfortable again.” My running friend Tony expanded on the Southern Summer explanation, adding, “I believe that the Southern phrasing helps answer the question. So to make it warmer you "push up the air". This phrasing, however, creates another question in how you push air up.”

Then my sailing and writing friend Rich came to the conclusion: “Turn the AC down till your wife gets cold and needs to snuggle.”
Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Why is the 0 on a phone and keyboard after 9 instead of before 1?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

How do you know what a deserted area looks like?”

In response to last week's question, “How do you know what a deserted area looks like?”, my friend Royce, birthday buddy Jon and colleague Bob all agreed: “Google Earth.”

My temple president friend observed, “after saying: " I've often found that a deserted area is what one finds immediately after asking “Do I have any volunteers to help with…?”” My sailing friend John referenced “Lake Lanier when the wind is blowing 20-25 and the temp is 20. Nary a boat was out there.” John also suggested “Peek into “New Employee Orientation” at GM or Chrysler?” My colleague Bob added, “ask someone who fled said deserted area for their insights: “Once the levee broke I figured it was time to leave the 7th ward for good! The place was wet, very wet.”

My neighbor Dick wrote, “We're going to a wedding in Walsh Colorado (population 659) in June. I will be able to report what a deserted area is like after that trip. P.S. if you are curious where Walsh is located, take out a map of NOWHERE and look right in the middle of it.” My colleague Chris added, “it is full of deserts…”

My neighbor Al wrote, “An egotist would say, "When I leave the area, I just turn around." My college roomie John, clearly not an egotist, wrote, “a deserted area is what the place turns into when I go out for a fun night.”

My quilting and sailing friend Jodie and new-dog owning friend Gian prefers to “think about desserted areas thank you very much.” To which my Dad noted, “If the deserted area is the one at the end of the buffet table, I am sure it would all look good to me.” Note: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. :-)

She was not alone as my friend Steve wrote “It's got all the cakes and pies.” My running and music friend Ed said “You see cheesecakes, crème brulees, ice cream, etc.”
Tracey said it is “whipped cream with a cherry on top” while my friend Ruth added, “and chocolate.”

My sailing friend Kurt blew me away with his connection to the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment, to which Kurt concluded, “Observation destroys the paradox” Whoa! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger's_cat

For more: My flying friend Ted shared his Top 10 areas that should be deserted immediately (bottom of email).

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Do you turn the air conditioning up or down to get warm?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…
Hal

10 Areas that Should be deserted (courtesy of Dr Ted)
1- A Nude beach for a retirement home
2-A British Culinary School
3-A German Police Academy
4-A French Engineering Firm
5-A Mensa Club of a certain European country
6-An Alabama Dental Clinic ( The British Dental Clinic runs a close second)
7-Venezuela (My Venezuelan cousin did this 6 months ago)
8-A Jewelry store full of Jewish wives
9-The Titanic II
10-Buffalo NY ( Trust me I've lived there!!)

Can you routinely break your routine?

In response to last week's question, “Can you routinely break your routine?”, my college roomie John wrote, “Yes, especially if you are consistently inconsistent!”

My wise friend Marlene explained, “Now that I am truly retired, I make it a point to break my routine daily--or go MAD!!!” As my golden retriever rescue friend Kate agreed, “Everyday.” My friend Marya added, “I do it all the time! Although, I have to admit the Catholics in WI really stick to Lent (Friday fish fry.....LOL)!

“Based upon Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1841 essay "Self-Reliance," my knowing friend Richard shared, “we not only can vary our routines, we should. To wit, Emerson's famous quote: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." My dad’s beach buddy Bob supports Emerson, responding, “Routine?, What Routine?” For ways to follow this sagely advice, see my insightful colleague Chris’s suggestions at the bottom of this email.

While published friend Kathleen observed, “You can always break your routine, but if you do it routinely, it becomes routine.” To this, my birthday bud Jon responded, “If you do, it becomes a new routine, which you can then break by going back to the original routine. Which you will then need to break, of course. So that the breaking of the routine becomes the routine. And that, of course, is how they invented rotini.”

My sailing buddy and writer Rich warned, “As long as you make breaking your routine part of your routine.”

In a twisted response, my wife’s former roomie Ruth responded simply, “Sometimes.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

How do you know what a deserted area looks like?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…
Hal

My insightful colleague Chris believes anyone can routinely break their routine and here are 10 ways to do so…

Ten Ways to Routinely Break Your Routine
1. Hold a conversation with yourself every day.
2. Waste time walking through any store especially in the clearance section.
3. Use your lunch to watch how others practice their routines 4. Read books from the Dummies series on subjects you have no use for.
5. Play with Legos and Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs.
6. Try writing a short story about nothing in particular. (Make sure to add A LOT of adverbs: i.e. the day was really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, long)
7. Expose yourself to a wide variety of music (I draw the line at disco however and no amount of creative inspiration will cause me to cross that line).
8. Change your schedule: If you normally arrive at work at 8 a.m. try 8:24 a.m. or 7:43 a.m or even 10:39 a.m (That’ll throw off everybody’s routine and not just yours).
9. Run into any store and ask the manager rather loudly and with great enthusiasm “Are you open on Tuesdays?” and when he says yes, just turn and walk out without saying another word (He’ll be telling his grandkids about you for years to come)
10. Respond to emails marked as (how to start your week) and write a list of ten ways to routinely break your routine.

Which way does a compass point in space?

In response to last week's question, “Which way does a compass point in space?”, my wife Alison, responded, “Warning. Warning. It won’t and we’d be Lost in Space, Dr. Smith.”

My friend Tracey wrote, “Unless there is a magnetic field where you are in space, the compass needle would move freely.” To this, my running friend Tony responded, “Based upon what I have learned about magnetic field theory in college, it would point in the direction of the strongest field. Planetary objects, solar winds, and stellar phenomenon all generate magnetic fields and impact the positioning of the compass needle. But I have no spacely idea or the funds to go up and find out!”

Thankfully, my colleague Chris knew that “it would spin wildly unless extremely near another stronger gravitational field like say Sally Struthers, John Goodman or Louie Anderson just to name a few.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob concluded, “It always points to the heavens!”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Can you routinely break your routine? from my friend Bob Siegel

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

What did it take to eat the first oyster?

In response to last week's question, “What did it take to eat the first oyster?”, my friend Tracey realized it was tequila and hot sauce --- or horseradish. My sailing buddy Scott thought it was “the first cold beer” while my birthday bud Jon concluded, “The invention of the oyster shooter.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob thought it was “A sharp knife and a vision of what it will help you to do!” In that vein, my sailing buddy Kurt thought it was “a girl friend who jokingly said it was an aphrodisiac.” My creative writing sailing buddy Rich wrote, “The same thing it takes to eat them today. Like the caveman said to his buddy, ‘You know if you eat that, you’ll be fearsome on the bear rug tonight.’ "

My friend Ruth noted that “a couple of guys were sitting around and one said to the other "I dare you to eat THAT!" and he did.” Similarly, my marathon running buddy Tony had heard that “it took guys, some alcohol and nothing better to bet on while on a fishing trip.” And my cousin Wes said “It's like Life cereal. His ‘friends’ got gullible Mikey to try it. He liked it and it didn't kill him.”

My social media friend Jodie gave ‘guys’ a break, saying it was “hunger. The sad part is they didn’t have lemon.” My college roomie John agreed, “man saw some animal eat the oyster first. When hungry, man will eat anything.”

And my friend Richard responded, “Not sure, but I'll bet his/her hands were clammy while eating it! (Oy!!!).”

Please sshare your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Which way does a compass point in space?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

MORE: Jon added this true story: One of the managers in my office has a weekend home on a river near the Chesapeake Bay. She and her husband raise oysters commercially. While at a conference, we were discussing this in front of one a Chief Counsels, who is not so wise in the ways of the world. Her response: "You grow oysters? You mean, in your garden?"

My witty friend Ivan shared the following: This little pearl of wisdom should be taken with a grain of sea salt. The first Oyster was eaten on a dare by a starving explorer. Little known but perhaps more important was the native who, upon seeing this guy eating it cried out incredulously, "Hey you, yonder there. It's a rock, feller!" He is credited with creating the name Oysters Rockefeller, also spelled Rockerfeller, neither of which is in my computer's lexicon!

Since rabbits don't lay eggs, why does the Easter bunny carry eggs?

In response to last week's question, ”Since rabbits don't lay eggs, why does the Easter bunny carry eggs?”, my birthday bud Jon, thinking like the Chick-Fil-A cows, wrote, “They would rather you eat the eggs than eat the bunnies!” My cousin Valarie added, “Couldn't you more easily and less discriminately give away kittens than human babies? So naturally a rabbit can dispense inferior chicks' eggs rather than his own flesh-and-blood bunnies.”

My sailing friend Scott found the emotional explanation (and gained a style-point for great vocabulary), “To assuage the jealousy” while my dad’s beach buddy Bob, was less concerned when he responded, “You just don't get the "YOKE."

Regarding the delivery of the eggs, my friend Tracey concluded that, “Because the chicken doesn't have arms, let alone hands! The bunny is being a good friend.” My dad thought there was financial gain involved, writing,”The Easter bunny is a UPS agent for the Hen.”

My friend Royce decided, “It's a left wing liberal plot to encourage gender change.”

My temple friend Addie knew that, “The bunny stole the eggs from our Passover Seders. Easter always comes after the Seder so that the rabbit has time to dye all those eggs from the Seder service, don'tcha see?!”

“The real story,” according to my flying friend Ted, “is that rabbits and eggs are symbols of fertility and most species start procreating in the Springtime (except if you are a married human). However, the Easter Rabbit was worn out from doing what rabbits are known for and needed to find an alternate means of propagating life on Earth. So the Bunny uses the egg to continue her mission of overpopulation even if they are chickens. Try telling that one to your kids!”
Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

What did it take to eat the first oyster? from my friend Ted

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

Hal

My friend Gian found help on YouTube as Eddie Izzard explains Easter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XJfRzNOJNE (1 min in to video).

Wed, April 15: Looking for something to do in Tax Day? http://teapartyday.com/ and click on Locations for 1 of 2,000 cities participating.

Can a good fairy be annoying?

In response to last week's question, “Can a good fairy be annoying?”, my sailing friends Cindy and Mike and birthday buddy Jon concluded, “Yes, you’ve seen Richard Simmons haven’t you?” And my unquestionably open minded friend Kevin wrote, “Yes, Boy George.” And my friend Tracey noted, “Oh yes! Haven't you ever heard Cojo talk about fashion on the red carpet?”

“As far as fairies go,” my neighbor Bob wrote, “they become annoying when they start giving unsolicited advice about what you should be doing instead of just stepping in when you need them.” My sailing buddy Rich concluded, “Yes, very, especially if the Good Fairy is your Mother in Law. Careful with that wand Martha, you’re gonna put an eye out. “

“Any Fairy is annoying if you a homophobe!” wrote my dad’s beach buddy Bob.
Two very wise friends, Marlene and Richard responded, “Depends what the fairy is good at! Maybe the fairy's forte IS being annoying.”

My friend world traveler friend David wrote “I'll say. Perhaps the more interesting question is whether a good fairy cannot be annoying?”

As a self-appointed good fairy, my organizational behavior guru Marya concluded, “Yes, because apparently I piss off a lot of people with my good mood and attitude.” My marathon finishing friend Tony observed, “Yes, when the good fairy pushes nothing but the good and what you desire is a little bad!”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Since rabbits don't lay eggs, why does the Easter bunny carry eggs?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

How do you know you didn’t dream that?

In response to last week's question, ”How do you know you didn’t dream that?”, my neighbor Bob challenged, “How do you know we are not dreaming this?”. My birthday bud Jon agreed, adding, “Or that I responded?”

My compassionate HR friend Lisa observed, “Is that like deja vu? I know I didn't dream it because I see the mess it left! :) ” My marathon-running friend Tony concluded, “I know I didn't dream it when the money is still in the bank! “

My insightful friend Ed noted, “If the dream includes either winning the lottery, or even better, Michelle Pfieffer, I know I dreamt it.” My college roomie John recalled his sophomoric humor, saying “Not sure what I dream - it used to be trains going in and out of tunnels.”

“I must have nodded off.....dream what???” wrote my neighbor Dick.

And my dad’s beach buddy Bob concluded, “Take a second look at what you woke up next to.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Can a good fairy be annoying?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

Hal

Congratulations to my friends Carey and Tony who completed their first marathon (26.2 hilly miles) yesterday with me in Atlanta.

Why is a toilet called a head when that is the last choice for a body part to use it?

In response to last week's question, “Why is a toilet called a head when that is the last choice for a body part to use it?”, my comedic cable buddy Bruce wrote, “It’s called a head because that’s where people do their best thinking.” My dad’s beach buddy Bob observed, “It is also called a throne and that is where the head of the family sits.” And my family friend Alan concluded, “It is because you’re always "heading" there.”

“For the drinker in all of us,” reports my witty yet of high integrity colleague Chris, “who require a toilet in extreme times when you must “hug the white wishing well and sell Buicks,” the “head” is the only body part required for this activity. It is also commonly known that 2 heads are better than 1.” My friend Richard agreed, adding “Based upon the behavior of some of my friends after an evening of too much revelry, I question your assertion!” My birthday bud Jon wrote, “Swirlees.”

My running partner’s husband Ted wrote, “Au Contraire!! From the last few fishing trips, I remember well my head was in it for most of the trip!”

My EarthLink buddy Luther wrote, “Never thought I would do this....But I can answer this one from my navy days.......partially that is...Seems in the Viking and Pirate days they placed the so called "bathroom facility" on the forward part of the ship. Seems it would be a bad idea to be downwind of such a facility, but they were warmongering vikings and pirates so intellect is suspect.” My new work friend Michelle added, “the toilet was positioned at the bow [or head] of a boat. It has become nearly exclusive to the Navy in last century.”

My sailing and writing buddy Rich concurred, adding “Having been on a downwind course on a modern boat where the noxious material is ground to fine pulp and ejected behind the boat I can personally vouch for the wisdom of their choice. The Brits refer to the seat of ease as the Loo which is short for looward. Looward is the old way of saying leeward, which is the direction you wish to pee if you do not want a shower of Eau De Pew.”

My civil engineer neighbor Bob realizes “by being in the very front of the ship, the area naturally became cleaned by splashing waves,” to which my friend Tracey added, “gotta love that salty-fresh smell!”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

How do you know you didn’t dream that?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…
Hal

Happy Birthday to my birthday buds Adam and Jon.

History: Also from my friend Tracey, the use of the term "head" to mean toilet dates back to at least 1708, when English privateer and Governor of the Bahamas, Woodes Rogers, used the word to refer to a ship's toilet in his book, A Cruising Voyage Around the World. Another early usage is in Tobias Smollett's novel of travel and adventure, Roderick Random, published in 1748.

Is dark faster than light?

In response to last week's question, “Is dark faster than light?”, my dad realized that it gets dark as early as 4:30pm in the winter, so this time of year, dark gets here quicker.

My colleague Chris knows that “both a brewmeister and a drunk would both agree with a resounding ‘yes’ that dark stout beer gets you drunker a lot faster than any light beer presently on the market.” Yet my leadership guru Marya understands that “If you view this from a wine stand point: chardonnay (light) is oh so tasty and it goes down very fast. However, a nice cabernet (dark), must be enjoyed sip by sip, such as Kendall Jackson. So light is faster than dark (and yes, everything in life can be compared to wine)!” But my neighbor Al countered, “Yes, Dark is faster, but not as fast as tequila.”

My sailing buddy Mike, who has recently rediscovered model railroading, wrote, “Don’t know if dark is faster, but I recall the old SuperCar show (gotta love marionetronics like SuperCar or another fav Fireball XL5) where the speedometer on the SuperCar had these markings: Speed of Sound <> Speed of Heat <> Speed of Light. Speed of Heat?”

While my birthday bud Jon would not take a side saying, “Don't know--can't see it,” my cousin Wes concluded that from the moral perspective, it varies. The dark, evil forces outpaced the positive (light) from 1933-1941 in Nazi Germany. Yet perhaps light's speed exceeded the speed of darkness from 1941-1945 as the Allies defeated the Axis in WWII. The recent post-modern culture might be considered dark exceeding light as it denies the knowledge of truth.

Thankfully, my neighbor and civil (in many ways) engineer Bob provided a practical solution: To prove that dark is faster than light, stand in an illuminated room in front of a closed, dark closet, then slowly open the closet door. You will see the light slowly enter the closet, but since the dark is so fast, you will not be able to see the dark leave thecloset. And if you try this then you have too much time on your hands just like the person that developed this experiment(*). My friend Tony, who provided the question, knew of a similar experiment by his dad.

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Why is a toilet called a head when that is the last choice for a body part to use it?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…
Hal

Good News: The sun will be directly over the equator on evening of Fri, March 20 (the Vernal Equinox). Yahoo! Spring starts Friday!

(*) Bob provided the following link about a more scientific approach in the development of theories around dark matter space vehicles
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/2141/dark-energy-spacecraft-could-fly-faster-light

Can you breathe out of your nose and mouth at the same time? (and why did you just try?)

In response to last week's question, “Can you breathe out of your nose and mouth at the same time? (and why did you just try?),” my sailing friend and writer Rich wrote, “No, for the same reason that milk will only come out of your mouth or nose. (Nose is funnier, even after all these years).”

But my to-be-marathon runner friend Tony said, “Yes, as long as you are not running; otherwise, you’ll trip. And yes I 'experimented' to verify my hypothesis.” My college roomie John added, “Yes, and while pitching (in Bull Durham), you breathe through your eyelids. We even breathe through our pores.”

My friend Tracey added, “Yes, and cats have a membrane in the roof of their mouth that allows them to taste what they smelled. It's called a flemens membrane. So cats can do it too. Knowing how much you love cats, I just HAD to share that with you. ”

Fortunately, technology friend David is also a musician. “As a musician who plays wind instruments I found this question unusual, in that it didn't make me think/wonder at all....the answer is yes. However a more interesting variation is: Can you breathe OUT your mouth and IN your nose at the same time? The answer to that is yes, with practice(*).

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Is dark faster than light? (from my new friend Tony)

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…
Hal

(*) Circular breathing: Learn more on Google. Factoid: Lenny Pickett of Tower of Power, known for using a circular breathing process to hold a single note for five minutes.

Are there any prefixes for prefix?

In response to last week's question, “Are there any prefixes for prefix?”, my observant friend Richard noticed that “Since "pre" means "before," and "fix" can be interpreted to mean a dilemma, then a pre-fix would most likely be “the events” leading up to any promise made to one's spouse!”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob stated the obvious, “Yes, the prefix for prefix is always the word before prefix.”

My college roomie John applied his college education by responding, “If a suffix is also an anti-prefix, then yes, it is ‘anti’.”

My sailing buddy Kurt concluded that “Prefix is its own prefix.” My neighbor Dick agreed, adding “However, in "suf-fix" (after) the "suf" is also a prefix.....boggles the mind doesn't it.”

My engineering friend Steve wrote, “Not that I know of, but like acronyms, I'm sure we can make some up.”

Meanwhile, my dining connoisseur friend Jon responded, “I know the antonym is a la carte.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Can you breathe out of your nose and mouth at the same time?
(and why did you just try?)

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

Why does flammable and inflammable mean the same thing?

In response to last week's question, “Why does flammable and inflammable mean the same thing? ”, my neighbor Al knows that it is “Because we stole everyone else’s language, as in “bow in bow tie and bow of a ship” etc. It gives lawyers something to argue about.”

Instead of stealing, my engineering and rafting friend Steve thought “Because someone was ‘burning one’ when they made up the words.”

My friend Richard recalled the late, great George Carlin asking, "Why do we have 'flammable,' 'inflammable,' and 'noninflammable'? Either it flamms or it doesn't!"

Richard added that both words are adjectives that mean the same thing. In common use, however, when something is "flammable," this means it can be easily set on fire. When something is "inflammable," this is taken to mean that it is self-combustible (i.e., can catch fire without an external heat source). A good example of inflammable is any vehicle manufactured by Ford, which invented the spontaneous (as opposed to "internal") combustion engine. (NOTE: Of the 7 or 8 vehicles I know of that caught fire, all but one were Fords.)”

My friend Tracey, touting her degree in English, explained “Because flammable means able to set on fire. Inflammable means able to inflame. In this instance, 'in' does not mean not.” My sailing buddy Scott added, “for clarity's sake it is advisable to use only flammable to give warnings.” (see post-script for more info) Yet my dad’s beach buddy Bob writes, “Not really. One burns from the outside and the other from the inside.”

My sailing and writing buddy Rich wrote, “These two words are perfect example of things being made more difficult than need be. In these cases I choose to blame the French.

My college roomie John summed this up by saying, “Either way, if you have to think about it, you might bet burned.”
Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Are there any prefixes for prefix? from my son Zak

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

If Darwin is right, why are so many unevolved humans still around?

In response to last week's question, “If Darwin is right, why are so many unevolved humans still around?”, my observant neighbor Dick noted, “because the NFL needs linemen.” My neighbor Al wrote, “We don’t eat our young, and there is no open season for stupid people are two reasons.” And my running friend Tony teased, “Because genetics doesn't have a conscience but does have a sense of humor!”

My optimistic quality mgmt friend Marya explained that “Earth would just not be as much fun if everyone was EVOLVED. Besides, it's so much fun to argue Darwin with the most religiously conservatives of the world (G-d went click and everything was here......fossils are the devil's handy work you know)!

My sailing friend Scott asked, “Should I take that as a personal slight?”

My friend Richard noted, “Someone has to qualify for employment in the mortgage business.”

“Evolution, by definition, is a never-ending process,” wrote my birthday bud Jon. “Even the most evolved are still evolving.” My college roomie added, “it may take a few generations for slower humans to evolve.” To this, my friend Marlene noted “All of us have evolved, but not necessarily from the same backgrounds. Look around you on a train or bus or even at a convention and you have to wonder from whence some of the humans came.” “We’re all a work in progress, added my “Dialog in the Dark” buddy Tracey.

My technology friend Steve wrote, “Because the politicians make laws to keep them safe so they can live and breed and keep them in office.” My movie-loving friend Alan added, “Who would run for office? aka where we would we get politicians from?” It’s so self-perpetuating, that my dad’s beach buddy Bob noted, “They are now in the White House .”

And my starboard-heeling sailing friend Kurt wrote, “Approximately 50% of humans evolved to the point at which Compulsive Compassion Disorder set in. This causes them to protect and preserve the weaker links. We call that 50% Liberals.” (Remember, this is all in fun.)

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

Why does flammable and inflammable mean the same thing?

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…