Forty and Eight

54-40 or fight

Forty Acres and a Mule

Forty men or Eight horses

Life begins at Forty

Dinner at Eight

Eight ways to skin a Cat

As bright as a forty watt bulb

Beat me, Daddy, Eight to the bar

Eight is Enough

Forty years in the Wilderness

 

 

 

 

Scootin' to the Movies

Friend Anita borrowed a scooter and we scooted to the movies,  about a two block trip, but with a boulevard to cross. This was experimental since neither had been to a movie on a scooter.

We drove right in.  There were places to park behind the last row.  At first we sat right on the scooters, and during an intermission we moved to seats right in front of the scooters.

The movie was a farce called Dodge Ball.  It was silly and fun, but pure stuff and nonsense.  Rip Torn, bless his aged little heart, stole the show with his portrayal of the dirty old team coach.  Ben Stiller was in it, I am told, but I am not sure which one he was... the announcer I think.  He could have mailed his part in, as he was not part of the action.

When we came to point where we came in, Anita and I climbed aboard our scooters and scooted home harmlessly.

A worthwhile adventure, that demonstrates to us how we could go to a real movie if we wanted.

Latest contemporty quote

Lastest contemporary quote.

Turn right at the first star and go straight on to toimorrow -- Captain Kirk, quoting Peter Pan submitted by daughter Jo

What book most represents my peronality

If I were asked to name a book that most represents my personality, I would have to pick three:

The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain

The Curious case of the dog in the nightime by Mark Haddon

Little Benny's Book by Lee Pape   

In Stranger, the narrator meets a playmate who is supernatural, either an angel, God, or Satan, it is not clear which.  He explains that all creation is in YOUR mind, and your mind only.  That philosophy is reflected in modern times by Depak Chopra who says the universe is a hologram in your mind.   

In Curious, the protagonist is an autistic teen ager who uses his handicap, the inability to forget details, to solve his real life problems.  That is me, you see, using my handicaps, to extend myself to the world,  

And in Little Benny, an old, old book, the narrator is Little Benny, who writes his journal daily of neighborhood happenings of Pudge, Glasses Magee, and mom and pop.  I read and reread that book as kid, and learned to see adventures in everyday happenings.

Most fascinating drive I (n)ever made

The Most Fascinating Drive I Never Made

I enjoy historic places, so I am sorry I never took a car, camper, or motor home on the Lewis and Clark Trail from Saint Louis to the Pacific. I used to be in awe when I crossed that trail near Kansas City. I would tell myself that I am standing where Lewis and Clark and their band of explorers stood two hundred years ago. A trip that took 45 brave men (and one woman) 554 days to make in the nineteenth century would make an exciting three week adventure in the twenty-first.

The Most Fascinating Drive I Ever Made

I have driven the streets of Subtropolis, an entire underground city. Developers took an old mine near Kansas City, and used its dozens of underground passageways and chambers for streets and businesses. Businesses who need the advantage of controlled and constant humidity and temperature settle there. The United States Postal Service stores and distributes stamps from there. A candy maker makes his confections there. There is a restaurant to serve the hundreds of workers who spend their days there, and a parking lot for their cars. Eighteen wheelers drive from the highway right into the underground passages to the doors of their clients. There is even a railway under the mountain. All the streets look alike and it would be easy to become lost, but the walls are painted with huge arrows that point to exits. Subtropolis is not for the claustrophobic.

High Power Kids

One of the things my chums and I did as kids was go to the library, get books, and read to each other. That amazes me, Kids reading to each other.

One of this group of chums, Ken, went on to become a marine biologist, a curator of Marineland of the Pacific, and a specialist in whales and dolphins. He wrote several books about porpoises. He swam with dolphins and helped develop commercial fishing techniques that let dolphins escape the nets of the tuna boats. His study has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of dolphins.

Another of my chums, Bob, Ken’s brother, became a Geologist. He became a professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and has written several books on the Geology of California and its off-shore islands.

Chum Chuck became a teacher but kept on studying school administration. He became a counselor, a principal, and an area superintendent in the Los Angeles City Schools. If he wrote a book, he hasn’t told me.

Friend Walt married my wife’s sister. I see him at family affairs. Our kids are cousins. He had a successful career at Convair Aviation in San Diego.

And I, the weak link in the chain of professionals, became a radio operator in WWII, continued my interest in electronics, which led to computers. At least, I am the only one of this high power group to have a blog.

More Contemporary Quotes

Got any cheese -- Steve Urkel

I am a wee bit psychic -- Daphne Moon

I am the master of my domain -- George Costanza

I’m king of the world -- Leonardo DiCaprio

You had me at ‘hello’ -- Renee Zellweger

There’s no crying in baseball -- Tom Hanks

When is the next swan due?-- Leo Slezak as Lohengrin

Include me out -- Samuel Goldwyn

That’s a shame -- Jerry Seinfeld

The Dr. is in 5¢ -- Lucy

Fasten Your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night -- Bette Davis

Come up and see me some time  --  Mae West

You can't cheat an honest man  --  W.C. Fields (?)

You can’t handle the truth -- Jack Nicholson

You’re Fired -- Donald Trump

I tot I taw a puddy tat --  Tweetie  (from Ckays1967)