BRAINY

You may recall that several weeks ago my neurologist wanted me to get an MRI of my brain -- that noisy, bang, bang, clackety clack, clanging piece of equipment. Well, today was the day to get results. I theorized that I’d be told that there was nothing whatever inside my skull. Cliff’s notion was that my head was full of marbles, but I rejected that notion on the grounds that if that were so, they would rattle around. And I haven’t heard anything at all -- lately.

Anyway, we were both wrong. According to the good doctor I have “...a very nice brain.” Whatever that means. He said it twice. He even showed me the film that showed the scar from the operation 24 years ago. Hot dog!

How about some funny cartoons?

A DAY AT THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

Saturday was quite a beautiful day, so we drove down to San Jose to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.

When we arrived, Cliff said, "Take a picture of me." So I did, and here he is, all six foot two.

Photography is allowed, but no flash, as a result, I had to do a bit of photoshop work to get some decent results.

Have a look!

The museum is on several levels, but this building was built without elevators.
So in order to comply with handicap regulations, they installed a lift that runs (creeps, would be a better description) along the handrail. It worked just fine for me as I made my way from level to level, until we were ready to leave. Wouldn't move, up or down. Several different employees tried to get it to go without luck. It was getting to the point that I wondered if they would ever get it moving, and asked if they served breakfast. "Oh, absolutely!" I was told.
After some while, some fellow finally got the gadget to move. You can tell from the
photo below just how pleased I am with the situation.

Humor -

FOOTBALL NOTES: (I know. It's baseball season).

How do you keep cool at a football game? Stand next to a fan.

Why did the football coach go to the bank? To get his quarterback.

How many college football players does it take to change a lightbulb? The entire team. And they each get a semester’s credit for it.

SUMMER EXCURSIONS

I don’t get very far afield these days, but Cliff and I do have a few things we want to do while the weather is good. He had been asking me about the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, and I have not been there in many, many years. So I checked it out online, my main concern being accessibility. They are. Accessible, that is, so we’re likely going this weekend.



The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco had been remodeled last year (or the year before), and Cliff and I were there one time last summer. We didn’t see everything, so we plan to return soon. The Academy says that it is "...the only place on the planet with an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof.



Amalie and I had visited Filoli Gardens some years ago, but at a time before the flowers were in bloom. If you subscribe to Smithsonian Magazine, you will have seen the featured spread they did on Filoli. Gorgeous flowers, and Cliff and I want to visit there. A friend is a docent (Hi, Sandy), so when she and her husband get back from vacation, I’ll be checking with her.





Humor -

A friend of a pawnshop owner asked the owner to appraise his grandfather’s violin. “Old fiddles aren’t worth much,” he explained. “What makes it a fiddle, and not a violin?” asked the friend. “If you’re buying it from me, it’s a violin. If I’m buying it from you, it’s a fiddle.”

That reminds me of a time in college when a foreign born student asked, “What’s the difference between ‘thrifty’ and ‘stingy’? I remarked immediately, “I am thrifty; you are stingy.” (Don)

Heads up: I'll be away tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon, so will post on Sunday.

JUST FOR FUN

Research confirms that drinking gives you the same benefits yoga does !!!

Or it may show what it is like to wait at an airport for the Icelandic volcanic ash to clear...

Or ...

Savasana 
Position of total relaxation.

Balasana 
Position that brings the sensation of peace and calm

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana 
This position calms the brain and heals tired legs.

Marjayasana 
Position stimulates the midriff area and the spinal column.

Halasana 
Excellent for back pain and insomnia.

Salambhasana 
Great exercise to stimulate the lumbar area, legs, and arms.

Ananda Balasana 
This position is great for massaging the hip area.

Malasana 
This position, for ankles and back muscles.

Cats are so dramatic!

Other fun --

A safety minded guy was vacationing with some of his buddies, and was talked into going parasailing. He was on the back of the boat getting hooked into the parachute, when he nervously asked the pilot, “How often do you replace the rope?” The response: “Every time it breaks.”

THE FLOWERS THAT BLOOM IN MAY, TRA LA!

As I’ve mentioned, the weather is finally getting warm, and the local flora have come into bloom. Here is a sample from around our park:






































































































































































































Fun --

Did you hear about the man who spent his life collecting memorabilia of Wonder Woman, Joan of Arc, and Florence Nightingale? Apparently he was a heroine addict.

* * *
Al and Mac are talking. “You won’t believe this,“ says Al, “but all last night I kept dreaming of a horse, and the number 5. So I went to the track, and put $500 on the fifth horse in the fifth race.’
“Did it win?”
“Nah, it came in fifth.”

BITS AND PIECES

A heads-up to Netflix users. Last night I watched an old, old Judy Holliday movie, It Should Happen to You. Cast included Jack Lemmon and Peter Lawford. I haven’t laughed that hard at a movie in some while!

There are but a handful of followers of this blog, and I thank all of you for your faithfulness. I have a favor to ask. If you find this blog useful, or entertaining, or for whatever other reason to follow these words, please tell your friends. If you don't think this is worth the bother, please tell me. If you have trouble leaving a comment, my email is

chippep@earthlink.net

Maybe, just maybe, we will be getting nicer, dryer weather. The forecast is looking up for this week. We hope it continues.

More cartoons -

FROM THE LOCAL PAPER

“District May Require Parents to Volunteer”.

That was the heading on a front page article in this morning’s paper. I did a double take. Was this the headline writer’s notion? Or something that came from the local school district? What bothered me is that I always had the notion that volunteering was something one did freely, without coercion. REQUIRE someone to VOLUNTEER? As my son noted, that sounded like something out of the Soviet Union. The article indicated that it was the District’s idea.

On the other hand, in yesterday’s paper were items (voluntarily written, I assume) from mothers, telling of embarrassing moments in their mothering experiences. The one that cracked me up was about the 6 year old’s pet hamster that died of old age. The kid wanted a fancy funeral, so he and Mom dug a grave in the backyard, which the youngster managed to line with flowers from the garden. The youngster was still upset, so Mom told him that the pet was going to Heaven .The next day, the kid walked into the kitchen, carrying the dead hamster by the tail. “I thought you said he would go to “Heaven!”

How about some cartoons --