What shouldn't you do in the dark?

In response to last week’s question, "What shouldn't you do in the dark?," my cycling friend Ted declared, "Experience has taught me that, using a man's technique (standing), you should never try to pee in the toilet in the dark, because it usually makes you say 'Oh Sh--!' "

My birthday bud Jon noted, "Read," to which my cousin Valarie pointed out, "unless it's Braille."

My dad's beach buddy Bob, who just celebrated his 63rd wedding anniversary (he's married longer than most people I know have been alive!), advised, "anything that you might be ashamed of doing in daylight."

My temple friend Tracey initially replied, "                      " which I thought was a clever way of hiding her answer, which was "get a haircut, have surgery or have dental work done."  My data analytics friend Kelly added ,"Breed grizzly bears" while my social media friend Mark D summarized, "1. Go down in the basement when the lights are out;  2. Look under the bed;  3. Don't run in the woods...he's always faster, even when he walks after you."

My temple friend Richard recalled, "to that great philosopher, Bruce Springsteen, dancing in the dark is acceptable. In honor of today being the 41st anniversary of the movie “Jaws” being released, I’ll go with “swimming in shark-infested water near Martha’s Vineyard, MA.”

My cousin Wes surmised, "Uh, run, stumble, use sharp objects.....or think darkly........" while another cousin, Greg  suggested  "ask someone in Alaska. They spend days at a time in the dark."

And my managed IT friend Kosol  elucidated, "I can't tell you what you shouldn't do, but whatever it is will come to light."

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

Where should you avoid going without bond money? (from my sailing from Jim)

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

Summer Solstice last Monday was special for two friends.  My sailing and dog rescue friend Carolyn wrote, "Today I start my week by thanking the Cleveland Cavaliers!"  And my ethics friend Blair was able to enjoy "an extra long summer solstice. Flying to San Francisco today!"

Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration for Hmmm.  As I transition away from  NicheLabs, I invite you to call or email so  I can share what  I'm up to.

What’s after A-OK? and a Summer Solstice question

In response to last week’s question, "What’s after A-OK?," by cycling friend Ted got me with a reggae response knowing how much I love the soul and passion of reggae, writing "Bob Marley had the answer--It's B-Alright!"

My birthday bud Jon determined an equally positive response of, "B-OK."   Then my temple friend Richard cautioned, "Usually, after a slight delay while reality sets in, OMG, IDK, or OSIF (Oh sh-t, I forgot.)."

My sailing friend Norm replied, "Solid as an OAK (hey, I a bit dyslexic)."

My neighbor and engineering-bent pilot friend Al provided a method to answer the question, "Well since I can't type exponents in Gmail, this might be hard to read:   "K" is the Equilibrium Constant.   It stands to reason that the next step would be to substitute for "K" so that A -O= 

....and of course, you then just solve for Y."

My dad's beach buddy Bob shared, "'A' is always the best score obviously better than a B,C,D,E or F."  And my equestrian friend Royce provided a  disclaimer-style answer,  "It depends on what you are OKing."

And my organizational behavior guru friend Marya shared her common response, "Okey-Dokey!  ;-)   "

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

What shouldn't you do in the dark?

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

Summer Solstice is one of my favorite days of the year, is today, June 20, because this is a leap year.  Typically it is June 21.  In Atlanta, there will be 14 hours, 24 min of daylight,  4 hours 30 min longer than Winter Solstice.   Nautical Twilight ends 65 minutes later.  Enjoy nature's Vitamin D and positive energy today!

Thanks to Demetri Martin, Steven Wright and George Carlin for the inspiration for Hmmm.  As I transition away from  NicheLabs, I invite you to call or email so  I can share what  I'm up to.

Why do people have eyebrows?

In response to last week’s question, "Why do people have eyebrows?," my dad's beach buddy Bob concluded, "it's to shade their eyes from indecent exposure" while my equestrian friend Royce believes it's "to, in theory, keep water out of your eyes and accent facial expressions."

My leadership development advisor Stuart quipped, "Easy. It helps them brows web pages."

My cycling friend Ted admitted, "I don't know, but they sure come in handy when I look at my wife and give her one of my lecherous Groucho 'eyebrow bobs.'  Good things then happen!"

My ethics friend Blair presented a better question, "Why do women paint eyebrows on when they are missing or thin? Oh, wait - it's to enhance our beauty!! Nothing functional about it. It's so embarrassing. Sigh. "

My cousin Greg was curious, "I think the bigger question is, 'why do some people NOT have eyebrows?' ” to which my college roommate John, who my wife describes as a good catch for someone near Annapolis, wrote, "I don't have eyebrows.  Who needs them?"

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

What’s after A-OK?  (from Demetri Martin)

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

My temple friend Richard shared a favorite classic Muhammad Ali interchange with a flight attendant on a commercial airline:

FLIGHT ATTENDANT:  Please buckle your seat belt, Mr. Ali.

MUHAMMAD ALI:  Superman doesn’t need no seatbelt!

FLIGHT ATTENDANT:  Superman doesn’t need no airplane, either. Now buckle up!

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those killed or impacted by the tragic shootings in Orlando.  Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said "Tonight our community witnessed a horrific crime... that will have a lasting effect on our community," a solemn Dyer said. "We will not be defined by a hateful shooter. We will be defined by how we love each other.”  May we have the civility and fortitude to respect and treasure our fellow human beings.

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.

Thank you Muhammad Ail, plus: While a restaurant could have an award winning menu, how is their food

In response to last week’s question, "While a restaurant could have an award winning menu, how is their food?," my writing and sailing friend Rich advised, "Style over substance. A problem our society is currently suffering from," to which

my friend Tracey, who is known for her good taste, added, "Probably as pretentious and disappointing as their service. And what kind of award did the menu win? From whom was the award issued?"

My cousin Greg cautioned, "Just don’t order the “pu-pu” platter….."

My temple friend Richard replied, "Unknown. On the bright side, if the food isn’t as good as the award-winning menu, at least you can eat the menu! (Everything tastes better with barbecue sauce.)"

My Utah friend Bruce had to offer, "Neil Armstrong went to a restaurant on the moon that had great food but no atmosphere...  Sorry...couldn't help myself."

My cousin Wes wrote, "Depends on who is cooking today.  Great graphic arts on a menu last longer than cooks."  And another cousin, Dave, shared, "I pretty much avoid restaurants that advertise award winning menus. In a related thought, can salmon get salmonella?"

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

Why do people have eyebrows?

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

Below are quotes from Muhammad Ail, another example of a Muslim American that contributed so much to our country and the world.  I regularly share #16 when I send a birthday greeting.

1. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see. Now you see me, now you don't. George thinks he will, but I know he won't.

2. "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth."

3. "I'm young; I'm handsome; I'm fast. I can't possibly be beat."

4. "Don’t count the days; make the days count."

5. “If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it—then I can achieve it." Jesse Jackson said this as early as 1983, according to the Associated Press, and Ali used it in his 2004 book.

6. “It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am."

7. “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

8. “If you even dream of beating me, you'd better wake up and apologize.”

9. “Braggin' is when a person says something and can’t do it. I do what I say.”

10. "I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was."

11. "Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even."

12. "I'm so mean, I make medicine sick."

13. "I should be a postage stamp. That's the only way I'll ever get licked."

14. “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

15. “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

16. "A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”

17. “If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.”

18. "I shook up the world. Me! Whee!"

19. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'”

20. “At home I am a nice guy: but I don’t want the world to know. Humble people, I’ve found, don’t get very far.”

21. "A man who has no imagination has no wings."

22. "He’s (Sonny Liston) too ugly to be the world champ. The world champ should be pretty like me!"

23. "I am the astronaut of boxing. Joe Louis and Dempsey were just jet pilots. I'm in a world of my own."

24. “I’ve wrestled with alligators. I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning. And throw thunder in jail.”

25. "Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong."

26. “It’s not bragging if you can back it up.”

27. "I'm the most recognized and loved man that ever lived cuz there weren't no satellites when Jesus and Moses were around, so people far away in the villages didn't know about them."

28. "It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up."

29. “I’m not the greatest, I’m the double greatest.”

30. “Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right.”

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.