MEANINGS BEHIND SAYINGS (Part 3)

Here's some fun for the day...........

TRIVIA:  (Answer below)
Which U.S. President appears on the far left of Mount Rushmore?

BRAIN TEASER:
Imagine you're swimming in the ocean and a bunch of hungry sharks surround you.   How do you get out alive?

JOKE:
Q:  Why did the lady go outdoors with her purse open?
A:  Because she expected some change in the weather.

QUESTION FOR THE DAY:
Why do we put suits in a garment bag and put garments in a suitcase?


COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
Trust God to help you turn setbacks into comebacks.

MEANINGS BEHINDS SAYINGS

The phrase: 
GREEN-EYED MONSTER

Jealousy has often been referred to as the 'green-eyed monster'.    The origin of this saying goes back to William Shakespeare.   Theatergoers probably didn't realize what a good thing they had when the plays of Shakespeare first hit the stage.   But I'm sure it didn't take long for them to realize that he talked and wrote like no one before or since.

While trying to come up with a vivid description for jealousy, the Bard of Avon ( as Shakespeare was often referred to as) remembered that many cats have green eyes.  He appeared to consider cats to be cruel and vindictive.

Therefore, in Othello (Act III), he called jealousy the green-eyed monster - comparing it with a cat that to a human appears to play with the bird or mole it has captured and is about to eat.

So what happens if you're feeling green or looking green?   If this is after a burrito covered in bacon and cheese that you eat while riding a roller coaster it's usually not a sign of jealousy.  But....you may want to find the nearest bathroom or trash can.


The phrase:

LET ONE'S HAIR DOWN

For decades, Paris has been the fashion center of the western world.  Customs and sayings that originate there often become more firmly-rooted in England and America than France.

Noted entertainers and wives of wealthy nobleman have long vied with each other in creating new and elaborate hair styles.  It was once considered a serious breach of etiquette to appear in public without a coiffeur that required hours of work.   Only in intimacy of private quarters would a noble woman of the Napoleonic era relax by letting her hair down.

Moves towards pulling out pins and unbinding tresses came to be associated with relaxation.  So any time inhibitions are discarded these days, we say someone 'let their hair down'

This phrase is not to be confused with 'let one's hare down'.   That's what you do if your pet rabbit gets caught on top of your book shelf and he's eating your first edition of Charles Dicken's Barnaby Rudge.   Hop to it friend and get that hare outta there.


The phrase:

READ THE RIOT ACT

Many a frustrated parent or employer has been know to 'read the riot act'.    This in spite of the fact that a solitary culprit rather than a mob of rioters may be the target of the wrath.

King George I of England had to deal with a house full of some cantankerous kids.   His real troubles though, were his subjects.   They created so much commotion that in 1716 he issued a proclamation.  Any time twelve or more persons engaged in a demonstration, officers of the law were required to read a specified portion of the act and sent the rioters home.   In the early decades of the Georgian era, voices were lowered and fists were unclenched fast whenever the riot act was read.  

This is not to be confused with 'reading the Hyatt act"   That's a manual for a select group of hotel employees which gives them information on how to deal with guests that want extra washcloths.


The phrase:


GET ONE'S GOAT

A family member or fellow worker who has learned what button to push may get your goat at the drop of a hat.  (we'll look at the 'drop of hat' sometime in the future).  

Stable attendants were long convinced that the best way to soothe a high-strung racehorse was to give the animal a little companion.   Not just any companion, but a goat.

Once the horse became accustomed to the presence of the goat, it created an equine crisis to remove the stable mate.    That's why the tradition has continued that a person who makes you angry or frustrated has laid hands on your personal goat. 

This is not the same as getting one's boat.   Especially if we're talking about  the bbbboooat that can't stay aaaafffllllooat on the Island of Misfit Toys from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".    If someone gets that boat, make sure they also pick up the cowboy that rides and ostrich and the spotted elephant.   They're all misfits and just want a place to call home.


TRIVIA ANSWER:
George Washington

BRAIN TEASER:
Stop imagining 

Until next time.........

WALKING THE TIGHTROPE OF FAITH

Here's some fun for the day........


TRIVIA:  (Answer below)
What are there 270 of in an average baby, but only 206 of in an adult?

BRAIN TEASER:  (what word or phrase does the following represent.  Answer below)

o er t o


JOKE:
Q:  If lightning strikes an orchestra, who is likely to get hit first?
A:  The conductor.  


QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Why is lemon juice mostly artificial ingredients but dish washing liquid contains real lemons?


COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
Often with bad habits we chose to remain the same rather than tackle the challenge of transformation.

WALKING THE TIGHTROPE OF FAITH

I recently read something in a Tony Campolo book that I thought was a good analogy on faith and I'd thought I'd share it.    

Blondin

The story is about Blondin, a famous tightrope walker.   In 1894 he strung a tightrope across Niagara Falls, and before thousands of people, he inched his way from the Canadian side to the United States side.  ( I hope to see Niagara Falls one day)  When he arrived safely the crowd cheered his name over and over....'Blondin!  Blondin!'

Blondin shouted back 'I am Blondin!  Do you believe in me?'

The crowd responded by screaming 'We believe!  We believe!'

Blondin then asked, "Do you believe that I can go back across the falls on that tightrope carrying someone on my shoulders?"    Again, the crowd yelled, "We believe!  We believe!"    Blondin then asked, "Who will be that human being?"    There was dead silence.   Then after an uncomfortable minute or so, a man stepped forward (Blondin's business manager)  He climbed on Blondin's shoulders and allowed Blondin to carry him back to the other side of the falls.

The point of the story is clear.  Thousands yelled "I believe!  I believe!"   But in the end, only one man really believed.    This story makes me think of Jesus and those that were screaming 'Hosanna!' as he entered Jerusalem to so quickly turn to yelling 'Crucify Him!' only days later.    

What kind of faith do we have?   Are we like the people yelling to Blondin 'we believe!',  but when the chips are down we cave?   We lose our faith and we don't really believe.   Or are we like the the man who was willing to climb aboard and take the risk because he truly believed and had faith.   

Faith is not about just believing when things are going well and all is right with the world.   Faith is sticking with God and knowing He has your back regardless of what you are going through.   Just remember, God is ultimately in control of our situation.  Being confident in that, we can face the difficult situations in our lives with boldness.   Be willing to walk the tightrope walk with God.....and don't give up believing. 

TRIVIA ANSWER:
Bones  ( I think brain cells would be even a bigger gap.   At least that's the case for me)

BRAIN TEASER ANSWER:
Painless operation


Until next time..........

7 RETRO PRODUCTS FROM THE 70's

Here's some fun for the day.........

TRIVIA:  (Answer below)
What is a majordomo?   (not to be confused with major dumbo)

BRAIN TEASER:  (Answer below)
If you have it you want to share it.  If you share it you don't have it.  What is it?

JOKE:
Q:  Why does a dragon sleep all day?
A:  So he can hung knights.

QUESTION FOR THE DAY:
Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as '4's'?


COMIC FUN: 

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
He who laughs....lasts.   Learn to laugh at yourself, put some play in every day, relax, chill out and have some fun.

10 RETRO PRODUCTS FROM THE 70's

I'm a big fan of things from the 70's.  That's the decade in which I was a kid growing up and I love looking back at the products, fads and such.    As I started on this one I was overwhelmed with memories of toys and fads.   There's only 7 things on this list, but there will be more in the future.    Too much to put in one post.   I'll also look at other decades in future posts as well.

Here we go........( these are in no particular order)

1.  Mood Rings

I remember vividly when these came out and was so excited.   I couldn't wait for the ring to tell me what mood I'm in.   How funny.  It's like I couldn't tell or didn't know without the ring?     The mood ring was created in 1975.   It really worked more on your body temperature than your actual mood.    Good thing since my ring was always black which means tense and nervous.   I'm always cold and so my ring was always black.   But hey, it's not like I'm not a nervous sort so......who knows.....maybe the ring knew.


2.  Rubik's Cube

I can't say that I played with this one much.   I tried, but I'd get so frustrated at it I'd want to throw it across the room.    The Rubik's cube was invented in 1974.   The goal was to get all the colors together on one side like the picture below.   I got mine like that once.   It was when I bought it from the store.   Once I started working on it I never saw it that way again.  

3.  Pet Rock

Oh my word.   All of us that had one of these should have a rock thrown at our head for being such dopes.    I paid money for a rock.   What a blockhead.   There were plenty in my back yard and I had to have the 'pet' one.   Talk about your marketing gig and selling people something they obviously don't need.   This was invented (if you can say that) in 1975.   Actually, some guy named Gary Dahl thought 'hey, people are dumb enough, let's sell them a rock'.     Turns out the fad only lasted about a year because eventually we all woke up and got a clue.     Hey.....I think I may come up with the concept of Pet Air for this upcoming Christmas season.

4.  Lava Lamps

Now this was one far out and groovy item.   I can't for the life of me remember why I didn't have one.    The lava lamp was actually invented in 1963, but I'm lumping in with 70's items anyway.    It seems iconic with the 70's.   The inventor of the lava lamp was a British accountant.    He got the idea after watching a homemade egg timer made out of cocktail shaker filled with liquids bubbling on a stove top at a pub.  ( say that 3 times fast)    Whenever I think of a lava lamp, I think of an episode from the Brady Bunch where Greg Brady was being all cool.    Here's a pic below.  It's outta sight man.

5.  Troll dolls

Ok, so I keep learning that not all the stuff I grew up with during the 70's, but I'm putting it in anyway.    Troll dolls were originally created by a Danish woodcutter in 1959.   They did regain popularity and become a fad again in the 70's, so we'll keep them on the list.    The woodcutter's name was Thomas Dam.   I can't resist, so I must say this......at least his friends can't say he didn't invent a Dam thing.   Sorry about that, but it was just too obvious to pass up.   I had several troll dolls but was more of a fan of Pee Wee dolls which I'll look at in a future post.



6.   Clairol Herbal Essence Shampoo

Oh my goodness did this stuff smell good.    My friends and I all had to have it.    It seems like my most vivid memories of it are when we'd shower in our bathing suits in the bathhouse after we went swimming at the pool.   We'd pour a half bottle on our heads for the smell.   Whenever you walked through the bathhouse someone was using this and you could smell it.   Which is much better than some other potential smells coming from the bathhouse.   



7.  Faberge Farrah Fawcett Shampoo

Farrah....what a beauty.    I was so happy when she came along and the stick-thin-straight hair of the Marcia and Jan Brady's started to go out of style.   As a curly headed chick, I just couldn't match them.    I tried to get my hair to do the 'feathers' that Farrah's did....but.....as a curly headed chick.....that didn't work out too good either unfortunately.   Anyway, I still have a vivid memory of being excited to go buy this shampoo.   It was at Treasury Drugs at Fayette Mall (store long since gone)  I thought my hair would look like hers if I bought it.     It's funny, I can't remember what I did 10 minutes ago, but I can remember stuff from 40 years ago.    Well, at least I can remember something, so that's cool.    I know many a guy had the Farrah Fawcett famous poster.   I won't put up a pic of that, but I doubt I need to.   I'm sure it's still etched in the minds of many a fella.

That's all for now.   There's still more fads, fashions, decades and toys to look at in future posts.    For those of you around in the 70's, I hope you enjoyed the look back.   It was far out and groovy man.

TRIVIA ANSWER:
A chief steward

BRAIN TEASER:
A secret

Until next time......

5 EVERYDAY SAYINGS/PHRASES THAT COME FROM THE BIBLE

Here's some fun for the day..........

TRIVIA:  (Answer below)
What is the oldest and most numerous class of animals?

PHRASE FUN:   What word or phrase is represented by the following?


H20 Autumn

JOKE:
Q:  What did the hungry Dalmatian say after his meal?
A:  That hit the spot.

QUESTION FOR THE DAY:
Why is the U.S. Department of Interior in charge of everything outdoors instead of indoors?




COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time.   

EVERYDAY SAYINGS THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE BIBLE

Today I thought I'd take a look at a few sayings that originated in the Bible that have become part of our everyday conversations.   Bible believers and non Believers alike use these phrases quite often.   Many of us may not realize that these sayings are derived from the Bible.   Let's take a look at some of the phrases and what part of the Bible they are from:

1.  "CAN A LEOPARD CHANGE ITS SPOTS?"

This is something we say which means that a person's character, especially if it is bad, will not change even though they act like it has.

This can be found in Jeremiah 13:23

"Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots?  Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil."

I'll assume that this also means a zebra can't change its stripes, a frog its warts, a giraffe its patches.....you get the gist....

2.  "A DROP IN A BUCKET"

This saying refers to a small amount of something.    A small proportion.

This can be found in Isaiah 40: 15

"Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the Islands as though they were fine dust."

I haven't found a verse yet that specifically mentions kicking the bucket, but I'll keep looking.

3.  "NO REST FOR THE WICKED"

So obviously the pooch in this picture is not wicked since she is resting.  She's my dog Maddie and rests all the time, so she's the opposite of wicked.    

This saying is often said when someone is wanting to rest but must continue doing their work or activity even though they'd like to stop.

This saying comes from Isaiah 57: 20

"But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud."

OK, so now I'm curious.   Does this mean that the entire cast of the Broadway musical "Wicked" can't ever sleep?

4.  "CAST THE FIRST STONE"

I think most people that speak this phrase realize it's from the Bible.   Casting the first stone in the land of phrases means to offer up the first criticism  or be the first to attack.   

The saying comes from the story of a woman caught in a sin who was about to be stoned.   Jesus spoke the following words and the people left without stoning the woman.    The saying can be found in John 8:7

"So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."


I'll look for verses on passing a stone, but I don't think there are any.


5.  "THE PATIENCE OF JOB"

I think this is another phrase that most people realize is from the Bible.    Someone that has the patience of Job has lots of patience.    Job went through numerous ordeals and did not lose his faith in God.

The saying not only comes from the story and all that Job endured, but is also referred to in the Bible in James 5:11

"Behold, we count them happy which endure.   You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful."

I wonder why we don't pronounce our jobs (rhyme with lob) the same way as Job (rhyme with lobe).   Don't we all need patience for work?


There's a look at 5 everyday sayings that come from the Bible.   There's actually lots more and so we'll look at those in future posts.   The Bible is full of lots of sayings as well as lots of wisdom.   It's God's true Word after all.   Take a moment today to open it up and give it a read.

TRIVIA ANSWER:
Insects

PHRASE FUN:
Waterfall

Until next time.........

6 FOODS WE THINK NEED TO BE IN THE FRIDGE (BUT DON'T)

TRIVIA:  (Answer below)
What term is used to describe the art of folding paper sculptures?

BRAIN TEASER:
You are in a dark room with a candle, a wood stove and a gas lamp.   You only have one match, so what do you light first?

JOKE:
Q:  Why did the cookie cry?
A:  Because his mother was a wafer so long

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Why are there 5 syllables in the word 'monosyllabic'?

COMIC FUN:  

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
God is ultimately in control of our situation.   Being confident in that, we can face the difficult situations in our lives with boldness.


FOODS WE THINK NEED TO BE REFRIGERATED (BUT DO THEY NEED TO BE?) 


'Refrigerate after opening'.   We see this phrase on a lot of products.   Did you know there's several things with that statement that don't need to be in the fridge.   There's also things that don't say that but we assume they need to be.    This may go against many people's natural state of things, but let's take a look at some common items that many of us think need to be in the fridge, but don't really need to be.


1.  Butter  

Yep, I can't believe it's butter, can you?  Ha ha.  Just a little take on a margarine product there.     Most butter contains added salt which impedes the growth of bacteria that causes spoiling.   Unsalted butter would spoil more quickly, but still has enough natural salt to be able to leave it out for quite some time.    So you can leave your butter out.   Which makes for nicer spreading as well.   However, if you live in a 100 degree hut, it may be best not to leave it out unless you want melted butter for your popcorn.


2.  Ketchup

You see packets of ketchup left our in restaurants.   You also see ketchup on the tables.    So why do we feel we need to put ketchup in the fridge?   Not really sure why, but why not take it out of the fridge and put it on the mantel as a focal point of your home.   Ok, maybe don't do that, but if you are out of room in your fridge and have a place to put it in the pantry.....go for it.


3.   Mustard

As long as we're talking about ketchup, let's add his sidekick Mustard to the list.    There's a high acid content in both mustard and ketchup that keep it fine for about a month in the pantry.   After that, their appearance and texture start to break down.    You can keep them in the fridge for about 6 months.  So I guess it depends on how often you use them.   If you only use them for Labor Day grill parties, then you might go for the fridge storage.   If your ketchup starts to look like A-1 steak sauce, that's a pretty good clue that it's starting to be 'notsofresh'.


4.  Mayonnaise

Say it isn't so?   Is it so?   Well, here's the scoop that I've touched on before in a post about 'Old Wives Tales'.    Mayonnaise isn't a dairy product, so it doesn't need to be treated as one.     Mayonnaise is made up of oil and egg yolk.     Speaking of eggs......


5.  Fresh Eggs

If you've traveled to other countries, you'll see eggs aren't stored under refrigeration.   They are sitting at room temperature.  Why is that?   Well, U.S. Regulations require that eggs be power-washed which removes all organic matter (and any harmful bacteria) but it also strips the egg's shell of it's protective coating and so it become more porous and open to contamination.    Farm fresh eggs that don't go through this process are fine to leave out for about 3 weeks according to various sources.   I've done this and survived, but most people are comfortable with putting their eggs in the fridge.  That's fine,  but just don't put all of  your eggs in one basket.  Ok, so I couldn't resist saying that.   I'm such an egghead.   

On another egg note.  Here's a trick to know if your eggs are fresh.    

Get a large bowl and fill it with water.  A very fresh egg will sink to the bottom and lay on it's side.    A week old egg will rest on the bottom with the wider end rising up slightly.   A 3-week egg will be balanced on the pointy side with the wider end sticking up.    A bad egg talks all the other eggs into skipping town and toilet papering people's homes.   Some will even throw themselves on people's cars and homes.   Ok, maybe not that's not the test.    A bad egg will float near the surface of the water bowl.  


6.  Milk.

Just kidding.   Want to make sure you're paying attention.


6.  (for real this time)   Jams and preserves.

They're called preserves for a reason.   Anything that's been pickled or sealed in a jar was meant to stay in a pantry and last through the winter before the invention of electricity.



There's a look at a few things that fall into the refrigeration debate.   Mainly people tend to put things in the fridge if they were items they grew up putting in the fridge.   The main gist I get from looking at various info on this topic is that refrigeration can extend the life of some of these products, but isn't a total necessity if you'll be eating it quickly.    Plus, if you prefer something being cold over hot makes a difference too.   In my mind (with butter excluded) if it's not in the fridge at the grocery, it'll probably survive in my pantry.



TRIVIA ANSWER:
Origami

BRAIN TEASER:
The match

Until next time........