Monday, January 30

Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?


In response to last week’s question, “Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing? ”,  my colleague Kosol explained it as, “Fat chance and slim chance, I guess refers to odds.  Fat chance would probably mean the odds are too big against you,  and slim chance are the odds being too small.  I'm a big guy so my chances of losing 100lbs by next week are slim.  That might be the only slim thing about me. lol.”  Then my writing and sailing friend Rich countered, “With a slim chance, hope remains alive; with a fat chance, your odds are slim-and-none and slim just left town.”

My cycling friend Ted balanced this writing, “It's a metaphor--taken to mean we are all the same, fat or slim.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob challenged, “Because both are too busy worrying about their weight to pay attention to who is in the Winners’ Circle.”

And my friend Royce offered, “Because you are usually slim before you are fat. Ergo, a symbiotic relationship exist between the two. How's that for BS?”

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

How does the groundhog prepare for its day?

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

Hal

Happy Birthday to my sister (today) and Cindy (on Groundhog Day). 
To find a groundhog event near you, visit http://groundhogsday.com/groundhogcentral.php.

Monday, January 23


In response to last week’s question, “We have enough youth. How about a fountain of "smart"?, my birthday bud Jon replied, “Those who need it won’t know enough to drink from it” while my friend Richard countered, “I think that already exists.  Seems like the more some people drink, the smarter they think they are.”

My sailing friend Jodi challenged, “Bravo! Occupy Wisdom would be worth the participants' time and the media's attention. We get what we venerate” to which my cable marketing friend Megan urged,  “have nothing to say except “YES, PLEASE” for customers, vendors, family and colleagues.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob suggested, “Fill it with Bud Light so those who have bathed in it  may drink enough to see the light.”  This could explain why my friend Royce wrote, “It would probably be polluted.”

My writing and sailing friend Rich philosophized, “Everything comes with a price. Gaining the wisdom of the "fountain of smart" will make you old in the end.”

My comedic friend Bruce observed,No one has found the fountain of youth, so I doubt we are smart enough to find the fountain of smart.  However, I’ve met some people who drank out of the fountain of smart-asses.”  To this, my cycling friend Ted replied, “A fountain of smart? What a dumb idea!” 

And my cousin Wes concluded, “Do we have enough Youth?  We have about 53 million fewer than we should have since 1973.  Of course while some would be taxpayers and funding Social Security, many would likely be unemployed in this economy.    As for a fountain of smart, Jay Leno would likely agree that fast food has given us a country full of fat smart asses.  Based on my IT Support experience and Americans interviewed while visiting Universal Studios, I think the fountain of smart is in India.”

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

Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?  (from my friend Jan)

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

Monday, January 16

If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?


In response to last week’s question, “If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?”, my friend Richard challenged, “Whales are NOT fat. They are just short for their weight.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob thought, “You must be referring to killer wales” while my sailing friend Kurt explained whales’ size because “blubber floats.”
My cousin Valarie and Tracey questioned, “Imagine what they'd look like if they didn't swim?!?”  To this, my friend Richard added, “Heck, they’d probably displace so much water that New York City would be underwater and New Jersey would cease to exist! (I’m still looking for a down-side to this.).”

My sailing and writing friend Rich observed, “It may have something to do with the five tons of krill cocktails they eat each day.”  My cousin Wes then noted, “See food and eat it; you have one whale of a time.”  To this, my birthday bud Jon concluded, “In a remarkable evolutionary leap, whales have perfected the ability to eat unlimited quantities of food while exercising. It would be like putting a treadmill in front of the all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. The closest mankind has come, combining unlimited eating with the ocean is the cruise ship.”

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

We have enough youth. How about a fountain of "smart"?

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

Monday, January 9

How do we know this year is actually new?


In response to last week’s question, “How do we know this year is actually new?”, my optimistic birthday bud Jon wrote, “We can only hope” while my dad’s beach buddy Bob was more optimistic, saying, “Because it has never happened before that the stock market went up on January 3rd.” My sailing buddy Kurt added to this with, “Well, the days are getting longer and soon everything well turn green and new instead of old and grey.”

My friend Tracey declared, “I know it's new because I read it on the Internet. If it says it on the internet it has to be true!”

My DISH advisor Brett observed, “That's for each to decide on his or her own.  Like happiness and peeing your pants...everyone can see it but only you can feel the warmth.”
My friend Royce challenged, “According to the Jewish calendar, the "new" year is almost half over. Ergo, the New Year really isn't new. However, who cares. According to the Mayans the year will end on 12/12. Damn! There goes Hanukah.”

What Royce didn’t mention is that 2012 isn’t new because the Jews had this year 3,076 years ago; the Jewish calendar is in 5772.

One other thought that none of my engineering friends realized is that we “absolutely” had this year 4,024 years ago, which would be 2012 BC (or BCE).

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

If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?

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

Hal

Happy birthday, Elvis (yesterday).

Tuesday, January 3

What is good about dropping a ball (peach, pelican or other object) to signify the start of the new year?


In response to last week’s question, “What is good about dropping a ball (peach, pelican or other object) to signify the start of the new year?”,  my friend Richard suggested “It’s representative of the year to come, since most of the time when you are depending on someone to get something done, there’s a good chance they will drop the ball too.”   My dad’s beach buddy Bob added, “It signifies that you are beginning the year as a loser.”

However, my friend Blair found a fun side to this when she wrote, “If you’re in Mobile, Alabama it’s a tasty way to start the year – they do it with a 600-lb electric “MoonPie over Mobile.” More importantly,  before midnight, they serve up a giant Moon Pie, and hand out the regular sized variety too!”   Like Blair appreciating Moon Pies, my dad shared his appreciation for fine crystal when he wrote, “I don't know what is good, but it would be major bad if the ball in Times Square dropped and broke. All of that Swarorvki crystal scattering all over.”

My colleague Kosol shared something all of his colleagues can appreciate, “I'm not sure why dropping the ball is a good thing for New Year's.  However, I do know, I better not drop the ball at work.”

My pilot friend Ted observed, “This whole ball dropping thing is a symbol of emasculation and was obviously invented by someone's wife's wishes for the new year!”  My friend Royce replied, “I could come up with all sorts of interesting Freudian comments, but I had best let this one slip by and just wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year.” 

My videographer friend Ivan concluded, “It beats dropping a bomb’ while my college roomie John saw the positive side, “Instead of dropping, maybe it should rise up!  When excited for something new, don't we get "up" for the occasion?  After a time, we are worn out and and we fade or drop.”

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

How do we know this year is actually new?

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift.  Remember to smile and enjoy.
Hal

So this is a little late.  Aligned with our long New Year’s weekend of sailing, I had the intention, not a schedule, for distributing this message this morning.

And happy birthday to my sailing friend and all-round nice guy, Mike!