PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE

Last Monday, for the first time in my life, I wrote a "Letter to the Editor" and e-mailed it to our local newspaper. Within a few hours I received an e-mail from the editor. It said something like, "Great letter. Thanks". I was pleased.

The next day I eagerly open the paper hoping to see my letter but it wasn't there. The same thing happened each morning until, after five days, I gave up figuring my literary career was nothing but a dream.

Then came Sunday. There is a whole section devoted to Letters to the Editor but I expected nothing by that time. But there it was, right in the middle of the page with a frame around it and a title over it reading "LETTER OF THE WEEK" I made it! At last, fame and fortune will now be mine!

Just so you won't miss reading the letter that launched me on my writing career here it is.

Until now I haven't had much faith that letters to the editor ever actually accomplished much more than make the writer feel better. However, I may have changed my mind.
A short time ago someone wrote a Letter to the Editor taking the Highway Department to task for stretch of Highway 1, going north between Carpenter Street and the turnoff to Pacific Grove. I agreed with the writer that this road is in terrible condition but I couldn't see how a letter could change anything. I was wrong.
Apparently the Highway Department did take heed because now, as you drive north, just before Carpenter Street there is a neat, orange triangular sign beside the road that says in bold black letters, "ROUGH ROAD".
Ah, the power of the press.

(My name)
Carmel, CA

You will be able to tell your grandchildren, "I read the first thing he ever had published."


The Old Professor
Carmel, CA
April 24, 2006

DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PACEMAKERS?

The other day my Domestic Partner, Jen-Chi had a Pacemaker implanted and all went well.

If you are unfamiliar with this marvelous device I suggest you do some reading up on it. It’s fascinating.

Going to Google at http://www.google.com/ and entering “pacemaker” gives many web sites with all kinds of information.

My favorite site for being the most complete at any level is Wikipedia, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_pacemaker

Take a look. The information out there may come in handy some day.

The Old Professor
Carmel, CA
April 23, 2006

I FOUND THIS INTERESTING

Since she was born in Beijing, China I asked my partner to show me how to write “very good” in Chinese. She wrote this.



As you probably know, written Chinese is read from the top down and I was fascinated by her explanation of the Chinese characters that make the word “good”.

She contends "good" is actually two characters joined together.


By itself Number 1 means, “Women” and, by itself, Number 2 means, “Child”.

“Women” and Child” together means “Good”.

Isn’t that neat?

The Old Professor
Carmel, CA
April 17, 2006

DOES HE REMEMBER?

The headlines this morning shouted “BUSH BACKS RUMSFELD”.

The article explains that even though several Generals contend that the Secretary of Defense is doing a poor job, President Bush still compliments him.

That must make Secretary Rumsfeld feel all warm inside especially if he recalls the president’s TV appearance in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. That time the president stood next to Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and said, “You’re doing a heck of a job Brownie.”

A few days later he fired him

If he thinks about it, that must give Secretary Rumsfeld something to think about.

The Old Professor
Carmel, CA
April 15, 2006

I WALK ALONE

Lately I have been reading quite a bit about aging.  I have no idea why this interests me now as I’ve been aging for many, many years now.  In fact, from as long back as I can remember I’ve been aging but for some reason it interests me more now.

Almost all of these aging experts are big on walking.  All kinds of advice is given from how much you should walk, when you should walk and, one that interested me, how fast you should walk.  One expert contended that walking doesn’t even need to be very fast.  He said, “Walk at a pace that allows you to easily carry on a conversation.”  That particular advice almost got me in trouble yesterday.

I was at the mall and decided to take the walking advice and did some extra walking around the mall.  People were giving me strange looks and one time I thought the security guard was following me.  It was as though they all had never seen anyone walking around carrying on a conversation before.

Maybe it would have been better if there had been someone with me but the book never mentioned that.

The Old Professor
Carmel, CA
April 14, 2006

IT'S THAT CELL PHONE AGAIN

Though I usually manage to cope with the world of today the cell phone seems to give me more unusual moments than any other gadget we own. The blog I posted in early March (I NEVER SAID I WAS SMART) told of my losing my cell phone and finally finding it inside my shoe. Today’s blog might be Chapter Two.

While I was at home I had occasion to call someone using my cell phone so the regular phone line would be open for a call we were expecting. I went to the Phone Book in my cell phone and selected the number and called it.

Sure enough, as soon as I made the call our home phone rang. Holding the cell phone to my left ear I put the regular phone to my right ear and said, “Hello.”

Just then the call on my cell phone answered and someone with a pleasant voice said, “Hello.”

I turned to the cell phone and said, “Just a minute please, someone is on the other line.”

The voice in my other ear said, “Just a minute please, someone is on the other line.”

It took me a few seconds to realize I had called a wrong number with my cell phone and it was my own home.

I never said I was smart.

The Old Professor
Carmel, CA
April 10, 2006

PS Within the family my dear departed mother is famous for being able to tirelessly talk on the phone for hours on end. One time she talked to someone for 45 minutes and it was a person who had called the wrong number. When I told my younger brother about my misadventure with the cell phone he said, “It’s lucky it wasn’t Mother.”
We’re just kidding, Mom.

WHAT IS NORMAL?

There is a magazine called Parade. We get it as an enclosure with our Sunday newspaper. This week there was an interesting cover.

The more or less unpredictable actor, Tom Cruise asks, “Who’s To Say What’s Normal?”

Listen up Tom. I’ll say it slowly. "Dick", "Shun", "Airy". Dictionary! That where you find what words like “normal” mean.

nor·mal (nôr'məl) adj.

1. Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical: normal room temperature; one's normal weight; normal diplomatic relations.

Think about it, Tom. Do your antics of the last few months even come close to being described as normal? I doubt if even your fellow scientologists think you are a normal scientologist. I doubt that even L. Ron Hubbard would go on Oprah Winfrey’s TV show and jump up and down on the sofa to make a point.

Sorry Tom. Unfortunately there are people who have some idea of what normal is and, even though you may think so, your saying something doesn’t make it true. No you see, here's the problem. You don't know about words. I do.**
**(In case this reference is vague to you it hints at Tom Cruise's appearance with Matt Lauer on a recent Today Show. At that time he explained his view on psychiatry by telling Matt, "No, you see, here's the problem. You don't know the history of psychiatry. I do.")

Such wisdom. Who knew?

The Old Professor
Carmel, CA
April 9, 2006.

WHY CAN"T WE?

The other day I slid back into one of those things that old people do and younger people hate. While in the car and listening to the radio I heard some song that’s fairly popular these days. In my mind I started bemoaning the improper grammar and even thought the lyrics to be nonsensical. It made me wonder why music can’t have beautiful words and make romantic sense like it used to.

My mind went back to the early 1940s – yes there are people still alive that remember those days. I recall a popular singing group known as the Andrews Sisters (Laverne, Patty, and Maxine.) One of their hits was “Three Little Fishes”. I’ll never forget those immortal words.

Down in the meadow in a little bitty pool
Swam three little fishies and a mama fishie too
"Swim" said the mama fishie, "Swim if you can"
And they swam and they swam all over the dam
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
And they swam and they swam all over the dam

"Stop" said the mama fishie, "or you will get lost"
The three little fishies didn't wanna be bossed
The three little fishies went off on a spree
And they swam and they swam right out to the sea
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
And they swam and they swam right out to the sea

"Whee!" yelled the little fishies, "Here's a lot of fun
We'll swim in the sea till the day is done"
They swam and they swam, and it was a lark
Till all of a sudden they saw a shark!
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Till all of a sudden they saw a shark!

"Help!" cried the little fishies, "Gee! look at all the whales!"
And quick as they could, they turned on their tails
And back to the pool in the meadow they swam
And they swam and they swam back over the dam
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
Boop boop dit-tem dat-tem what-tem Chu!
And they swam and they swam back over the dam.

Now where can you hear sentiment like that these days?

Then I mentally compared the butchering of the English language I hear today to a big hit of 1944, “Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby?” Why don’t we get to hear things like that these days?

Lastly, whenever I need an uplift I think of Louis Armstrong or one of the other vocalists who made “Flat Foot Foogie” so popular. I can still hear:

Oh, the flat foot floogie with a floy, floy,
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy,
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy,
Floy doy, floy doy, floy doy.

Yeah, yeah yeah, byah, oh, baby!
Yeah, byah, byah, oh, baby!
Yeah, byah, byah, oh, baby!
Yeah, byah, byah!

Whenever your cares are chronic,
Just tell the world, "go hang,"
You'll find a greater tonic,
If you go on swingin' with the gang!

Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy,
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy,
Floy, floy, floy, yeah!
Send me on out there!

Whenever your cares are chronic,
Just tell the world, "go hang,"
You'll find a greater tonic,
If you go on stumblin' with the gang!
Hey, hey, hey, yes, yes!

Wow!

Like it says in the last verse, “You’ll find a greater tonic.”

You just don’t hear music with great philosophy embedded like that today.

The Old Professor
Carmel, CA
April 6, 2006

OUT WITH THE OLD

The other day I was cleaning out some of my dresser drawers.(I know my daughter, Meggiecat, will find that hard to believe but it’s true.) I came upon a pair of pants I hadn’t worn in more than 3 years. Just for fun I put them on.



Quite a difference and I’m proud to say, it seems to be staying that way. Of course, I need to work like crazy to stay that way but I guess it’s worth it. I saw a profile of Jack La Lanne. He’s a fitness guru who has been around Southern California a long time. He’s nearly 92 years old now and looks great. He attributes this to his routine, which is EVERY morning he does a 2 and a half hour workout and he says he “hates every minute of it” but the end results are worth it.

The fact that Jack La Lanne hates exercise makes me feel better. A little better.

The Old Professor
Carmel, CA
April 1, 2006