"How bad can it be if it's clear?

In response to last week’s question, "How bad can it be if it's clear?,"  my sailing friend Jim cautioned, "A question posed by someone who clearly has never had Everclear," to which my dog rescue friend Kate added, "If it is called scotch or bourbon, we have a problem."  My Utah friend Bruce then advised, "Choose your poison: Vodka and gin are clear while Los Angeles air is brown... They both give you red eyes if consumed in large quantities... "

My temple friend Richard proffered, "There is no conflict between being clear and bad.  For example, if a '60 Minutes' crew shows up at your house, that is clearly bad.  If you get 'invited' to the local IRS office, that is likewise clearly bad. If your parachute does not open, that is clearly VERY bad."   My PR friend Stan concurred, "If you need rain, clear weather can be really bad depending on how much rain you need. If a problem is really clear, then it can be worse than you thought, and that could be really bad. Clearly, you really weren’t clear."

My birthday bud Jon challenged, "Your question is unclear.  So it’s pretty bad!" to which my cousin Greg piled on, "Clear as mud."

Please send me your thoughts about this week's "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

 While a restaurant could have an award winning menu, how is their food? from my cousin Dave.

We don't stop laughing because we get old. We get old because we stop laughing.  Make it a priority to have fun and make others laugh.

Hal

Knowing how much I enjoy Steven Wright's humor, my friend Stan asked if Steven Wright (Red Sox) is happier since he found success with the knuckleball?

Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration for Hmmm.  Stop by NicheLabs to see what else I'm up to.

Is graduation a gradual thing?

In response to last week’s question, "Is graduation a gradual thing?," my friend Tracey recalled, "Yes it is and quite often painful!"  My neighbor Al provided an example although not necessarily what Tracey was referring to when he wrote, "When you are sitting in a 90-degree football stadium, from the top row, listening to some pompous speaker, it sure seems gradual."  

My birthday bud Jon observed, "It depends on your grades" while my recruiting friend Jason reminisced, "Graduation is a sudden event with a goodly amount of foreplay and a sh-ton of memories and embellishments."

My dad's beach buddy Bob  counseled, "It is toward a never to be achieved goal."

And my fascinating friend Bruce summarized, "Hmmm... Kindergarten, Elementary, Junior High, High School, and MA at Juilliard were easy.  For the second MA at USC (chemical engineering), the going was tougher (supporting a family and a career)  so - steep... And now that I'm retired, I'm almost done with PhD from Manchester (astrophysics) - very steep...  Wondering do I want to bother finishing, just so someone has to call me Doctor?     The answer is: Gradual...  I think the older we are, the tougher the climb."

Please send me your thoughts about this week's "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

         How bad can it be if it's clear?   from my collaboration friend Mary

 We don't stop laughing because we get old. We get old because we stop laughing.  Make it a priority to have fun and make others laugh.

Hal

Please take a moment to remember all of those who have given their lives for our country so that we may be free.  While the US Congress is a mess, we are free to criticize and elect other representatives --- and for that is just one of the things thank the families of those who died in our military, reserves and law enforcement protecting our democracy.

Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration for Hmmm.  Stop by NicheLabs to see what else I'm up to.

How do you pronounce [#@%*^$%# ?

In response to last week’s question, "How do you pronounce  [#@%*^$%# ?,"  my neighbor Al replied, "...with soap in my mouth," to which my west coast friend Bruce added, "I know how to pronounce it, but you misspelled it!  The final syllable you wrote ($%#) is merely the gurgle and pop my throat makes from the soap and pepper Miss Snodgrass (my second grade teacher) washed my mouth with, so many years ago..."

My birthday bud Jon declared, "Trump."

 My temple friend Richard cautioned, "You can pronounce it any #@%*^$%# way you want, but you have to be careful about where the $%*Ω£¢§# you say it!"  My Parrothead friend Samantha follows Richard's advice, "I have small children, so I only pronounce that in my head- and oftentimes in traffic."

 When my dad's beach buddy Bob described "unmentionable series of 4 letter words," my jeweler friend Bill provided the qualifier, "It depends if you are from the North or the South."

 My writing and sailing friend Rich concluded, "It translates to 'Special Words' such as 'The Special Work Words' when you walk out of the latest meeting or 'The Special Sailing Words' when you run the boat aground, or 'The Special Wife Words' pretty much for anything you do, sensitivity is harder than it looks."

 My PR friend Stan declared it is, "F" to which my cousin Greg thought it was "FUBAR" and my social media friend Mark thought it would be "Freaking Auto-correct."

My friend Tracey recalled, "If you've ever watch The Flintstones, Fred pronounced it at least once or twice per episode."  And my sailing friend Norm politely replied, "Cheese & Crackers!"

Please send me your thoughts about this week's "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

Is graduation a gradual thing?

We don't stop laughing because we get old. We get old because we stop laughing.  Make it a priority to have fun and make others laugh.

Hal

Congrats to those completing high school, college and post-graduate school, and their families.  If you got your masters or doctorate, are you a post-graduate graduate?

Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration for Hmmm.  Stop by NicheLabs to see what else I'm up to.

Why are there half sizes for shoes?

In response to last week’s question, "Why are there half sizes for shoes?," my temple friend Richard explained, "Sizing of shoes and wits are the same, which is why there are so many half-wits. Obviously feet grow and wits decrease on an incremental basis.:

My dad's beach buddy Bob observed, "Because there are men and women who are not necessarily 'full bodied,' " to which my collaboration friend Paul concurred, "I’ve always assumed this is b/c women don’t want to buy shoes w/2-digit sizes. 'My feet aren’t THAT big.' "   This was confirmed when my friend Tracey replied, "As someone who wears an 8.5... an 8 is too snug and a 9 is too loose."  Then my cousin Dave added, "I wear a 9 1/2 shoe to go with my 15 1/2 shirt collar."

My PR friend Stan shared, "There are no half-sizes. '9-1/2' is a size that’s somewhere between 9 and 10. You would only have a half-size if you only needed half a shoe. In that case, the 9-1/2 would be 4-3/4. Personally, it would offend my bad sense of fashion, and I’d take a full-size shoe, 9-1/2 and find some filler material for the rest of it. Then, I’d go watch a cigar box – or let Prince Albert out of the can."

My DISH friend Mark reminded us, "If the shoe doesn’t fit…" as my equestrian friend Royce wrote, "Ya know...I was discussing that at breakfast this morning with the guys at Bennies."

Please send me your thoughts about this week's "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

How do you pronounce  [#@%*^$%# ?

Life  is too short for drama and petty things, so kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly, and forgive quickly.   

Hal

Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration for Hmmm.  Stop by NicheLabs to see what else I'm up to.

Why does ice float (given that it is the same chemical make-up as its liquid form)?

In response to last week’s question, "Why does ice float (given that it is the same chemical make-up as its liquid form)?," my birthday bud Jon went on a useful tangent, "More interesting, though, is whether ice floats in scotch.  And what happens when you reduce the amount of scotch in the glass.  This is an experiment which needs to be conducted repeatedly in order to ensure accuracy."  

My dad's beach buddy Bob agreed that "alcohol keeps it afloat' to which my sailing friend Norm added, "Ice floats so you it can get in the way of sipping your drink, causing you to drip valuable bourbon all over your shirt. .  Also, ice floats so you can see it on the water and not hit it (unless you are the Titanic)."

My temple friend Richard observed, "Ice floats on water because it is less dense.  It seems that nature works in exactly the opposite manner as do large man-made organizations, in which the individuals who are most dense tend to rise to the top."   My sailing friend Mike concurred,  writing "One word. Science! (Cue Thomas Dolby) Water expands to a small degree when it moves from liquid to solid state and thus is slightly lighter than its liquid form."   My equestrian friend Royce added, "Probably due to the chemical composition of H2O and the buoyancy thereof, but do I look like someone who would know?"   The challenge from my friend Harvey is that few other compounds expand when it freezes.  Typically, the colder the item, the closer together the molecules are, thus more dense and heavier.

My writing and sailing friend Rich then pointed out the higher power's master plan, "So hockey can played outdoors on ponds."

Please send me your thoughts about this week's "things that make you go 'Hmmm' “:

Why are there half sizes for shoes?

Life  is too short for drama and petty things, so kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly, and forgive quickly.   

Hal

My Aunt MB  responded for the first time, reply to a prior week's question, "can you be short for your height?"  She wrote, "I don't like being short.  I once was able to reach the top shelf in my cupboards without stretching on my toes. Shrinking isn't fun however it is better than the alternative."
Congrats to my Syracuse U friends as our men's lacrosse team won the ACC Championship and the women's lax team finished second.  On to the national championship in two weeks.

PS:  Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration for Hmmm.  Stop by NicheLabs to see what else I'm up to.