What is the difference between slow things up or slow things down?

In response to last week’s question, What is the difference between slow things up or slow things down?," my neighbor Al responded, "It all has to do with Kama Sutra." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kama_Sutra

My friend Richard observed, "If you are on an elevator, slowing things up is OK. Otherwise, you'd shoot past your floor. On the other hand, if the elevator has failed and you are hurtling towards the bottom of the shaft, then slowing things down would be a VERY good thing!" Similarly, my dog loving friend Larry noted, "Depends on what height on the ladder you're at."

My dad's beach buddy Bob understands that "It is a way of getting to the center of things" while my friend Blair explained, "Up north, people slow down. Down south, people slow up."

"My Dad at the Lake of the Ozarks chimed in," wrote my friend Cheryl, "that slowing up is actually speeding them up and slowing down is the only way to go slower. I personally think bank loans are actually slowed up when I apply for them and slowing down refers to dating as in right before you get dumped!"

My pilot friend Ted proposed, "Slowing up means pointing the nose up without adding power so you gain altitude and lose airspeed Slowing down is a bit harder, but can be done by decreasing throttle, extending flaps, lower gear and add up trim, then the plane will slow 'down'".

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

Do flying fish travel in a school or a flock? (during my sailing trip with my friend Jim)

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

If you can have a cousin once removed, can it be taken back?

In response to last week’s question, "If you can have a cousin once removed, can it be taken back?", my friend Richard explained his affirmative answer with, "I think they are like warts. You can get them removed, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come back again… Usually when they want something from you!" My friend Swany said, " Yes, it's called a second cousin."

My birthday bud Jon understands, "In some parts of the country, only by remarriage. My college roomie John explained, "Since I am from Pennsyltucky, we have a different way a looking at our cousins?! What do you mean by "once removed"? Is that from the dating crowd? We like to think of it as "catch and release"!

My friend (and proud mom of a bar mitzvah this past weekend) Tracey wrote, "I hope so although my family tree is full of nuts and wild monkeys." To this, my dad's beach buddy Bob shared, "Who wants to take them back? They were removed for good cause to begin with. Let the sentence stand...Guilty as charged." My friend Royce agreed, "Do you really want to take "it" back?"

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

What is the difference between slow things up or slow things down? (from my Caribbean and local sailing friend Mike)

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

Hal

Note 1: No update next week (Jun 7) as I will be sailing in St Martin/Anguilla and not near email.

Note 2: A special call-out to the many people involved in this past weekend's Nibble & NoshFest: This is proof of what a team of people can do. We created a food festival that attracted a huge number of people, sold out food from several vendors and heard that even more vendors want to return next year.
As many, many of you expressed your appreciation for my leadership, please know that it was my pleasure to work with you in the name of community outreach, good food and to prove that there are a large number of people that want to help (volunteer).

How exactly do you lend an ear to someone?

In response to last week’s question," How exactly do you lend an ear to someone?", my dad's beach buddy Bob challenged, " You just can't....It is unheard of."

My game-making friend Dov recalled this is what was "said to Squanto by William Bradford, Plymouth Mass 1620."

My birthday bud Jon thought the whole question is "an eerie thought."

My lawyer friend Mary Rich and cycling friend Ted wrote, "I think it’s something that Vincent Van Gogh didn’t quite know how to do either." To this, my woodcarving friend Doug added, "Van Gogh didn't really pay much attention to questions anyway - he was usually only half listening." And my writing and sailing friend Rich asked, "did Van Gogh had ever read Julius Caesar?"

My friend Tracey observed that her son Elliott, who will be bar mitzvahed this weekend, "does it all the time. He listens and never asks any questions. He's going to make a great therapist some day."

My sailing friend Kate responded, "I'm not sure, but it sounds a lot better than having someone chew your ear off."

My Parrothead friend Sam concluded, "Mr. Potato Head does it just right. Pop one ear out and hand it to a friend... Hmmm... that might get a little messy, but at least your buddy knows you are serious about listening!" Luckily, my linguistics friend Eileen shared the Mr. Potato Head history (see bottom of email).

Or there's the opinion of my organizational behaviorist friend Marya, who suggested, "You do it with a hug, a smile, and a kind heart (no knives ok?)."

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

If you can have a cousin once removed, can it be taken back? heard at the WV Vidalia Gathering

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

Hal

From my friend Eileen: Don't you know we descended from the line of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head? The Potato Head family communicated important news and gossip to other Potato families through an complex cross-interchange of ears (in addition to other body parts). Funny enough, the ear was the one body part that their species was ashamed of. Research indicates that this may be due to their racist tendencies towards the overpopulating Corn family (get it?). When the economy tanked, everyone started stealing everyone else's Potato parts and selling them in the black market. However, they were superstitious and there was never a market for ear. Thus only "lend me your ear" survived throughout the ages because it's the only body part no one wanted to keep!

When people say 'Excuse my French', what word are they excusing?

In response to last week’s question," When people say 'Excuse my French', what word are they excusing?", my writing and sailing buddy Rich quickly responded, "Stupid American - What an ignorant question - Sorry, had a French moment there." My dad's beach buddy Bob explained it is when, "they are clumsy and incompetent in their ability to proceed."

While my birthday bud Jon could only write, " Je ne sais pas ," my friend Richard suggested, "Presumably any word that leaves someone tongue-tied. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)" My friend Royce noted, "Most of the time it's due to the fact the speaker can't speak English or French."

My friend Chris proposed, "Well the French are dirty, so it goes without saying that it's probably a dirty word." My cable TV friend Cheryl expounded, " A dirty word that would have gotten soap in my mouth as a child." My cousin Wes provided more detail, "it includes but is not limited to S*%&, F@#*^$#, F@#^, D@##, M)(*&^ #$&*%$, S%^ of a @%$!, etc. I am using Beetle Bailey spelling so as to avoid the need to apologize for my French. "

My dad, known for not resorting to using foul language, responded "If I told you, I would have to follow it with "excuse my French" and then it would go on and on. "

My comedic friend Bruce wrote, "In America, “Excuse my French” excuses a curse word. In France, “Excuse my English” excuses a friendly word."

Leave it to my organizational behavior friend Marya to explain, "I say 'excuse my French' when I'm about to plant a big ole' kiss on someone; it's less of a surprise!" Along that line of thinking, my former colleague Swany responded, "I thought it was spoken just before a surprise tongue attack when affectionately greeting a friend. If you get slapped, consider it your “Waterloo.”

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

How exactly do you lend an ear to someone? from my fundraising friend Sherri

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

Do egotists talk about other people?

In response to last week’s question, "Do egotists talk about other people?", my politically astute friend Kevin said, "Yes. Example: Rush Limbaugh."

My friend Tracey observed, "Yes, but only in relation to themselves. Have a conversation with my mother someday. You'll see how it works."

My dog rescuing friend Kate replied, " Yes, but not nicely....I should know!" My cousin Wes echoed Kate, "Of course we do, We have to talk about the lesser beings in order to compare and define our greatness."

My Ph.D. friend Richard observed that other than Kate and Wes, "They aren’t even aware that anyone else exists. They can’t see them due to a persistent “I” problem."

My dad's beach buddy Bob agreed that they talk "only in a derogatory manner." My birthday bud Jon noted that it is " in negative comparison to themselves." And my college roomie John observed, " only if the other people are stroking their ego."

My sailing friend Scott and friend Royce concluded that this happens "only when they also have multiple personality disorder or schizophrenia."

My former colleague Chris was reminder of the saying about the minds of people which I think holds true even today. " 'Small minds talk about people, Average minds talk about events and Great minds talk about ideas.' If that is true then most egotists would be small minded whether they are talking about someone else or themselves. So if they are small minded then it really doesn't matter if they talk about other people. Of course that is just my opinion, I could be wrong."

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

When people say 'Excuse my French', what word are they excusing?

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