Falling Down the Research Rabbit Hole

        

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        It’s been a week and by that, I mean, it’s been a bit crazy (the day job is always crazy—which I’m convinced is the new normal) but both DH and one of our fur-babies are not feeling well. And if those things aren’t enough, I fell down the research rabbit hole. Not sure if you’ve ever had this happen, but it’s a real thing. It doesn’t take long to go there and you never know how long you’ll stay. Hours can fly by without you even realizing it.

How did it start? Well, I needed to look up one thing—just one—for my work in progress. It was about harvesting wheat, which, up until now, I knew nothing about (well, that’s a misstatement, I know how it’s done today. I didn’t know how it was done in 1871, which is when my story is set).

I learned so much and the more I learned, the deeper into the rabbit hole I went. Believe me, it wasn’t hard. One thing just kinda led to another (I love Google…before Google, I had to go to the library to learn this much).

Of course, that just started another barrage of research, not only about wheat (how it’s planted, grown, reaped and turned into flour) but so many other things like medication for arthritis sufferers (the DH has arthritis throughout his spine like his mother did), symptoms and causes of Celiac disease (which I suspect he has but I’m not sure yet) and too many other things to mention here.

And that’s about all for me….like Alice, it’s back down the rabbit hole I go. What will I learn today? Who knows, but I’m up for the challenge!

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

HERE’S YOUR SIGN…

Hi guys!  How you be this week?  I’m doing great at this end.  Been brainstorming like a crazy woman…literally.  LOL  And trying to write.  Secret—that part’s not going quite as well.  But I’ll get there.  Really, I will.  My WIP needs to be 85-90K and I have 72K…almost to the finish line.  Yeah!!!  The problem I’m having with this story is that Delta’s brother, Bubba Ray, is throwing me curve balls and doing stuff he’s not supposed to do.  Guess the apples never fall far from the tree.  LOL

Anyway, it’s my turn to blog again this week and—shocker—I’ve been at a loss all day as to what to write about, which always has the tendency to send me to the internet searching for a topic.  Today’s topic turns out to be S-T-U-P-I-D-I-T-Y.  So I looked up the definition:  behavior that shows a lack of good sense or judgment.  Really?  I’ve seen stupid and so have you…and that definition is missing something.  Stupidity is sooo much more than just a lack of good sense or judgment.  So, what say we do some research and see what we can find on what other people say about stupidity.  K?  All right…here are some quotes I found out there on the World-wide-web about stupidity. 

How big and pervasive is stupidity?

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
― Albert Einstein

Think about how stupid the average person is, and then realize that half of ‘em are stupider than that.

― George Carlin

Sad but true—that’s how the math works, folks.  Sigh.  That last quote threw a cold bucket of water on my hopes.  Half of all the people stupider than the average is one hell of a lot of stupid!

“Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe.”
― Frank Zappa

“There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life.”
― Frank Zappa

Okay, who knew the late Frank Zappa was so informed?  My first thought was that perhaps all those mind-altering drugs in the sixties had actually given him some insight.  Then I did a little research into Frank Zappa and found him named as one of the Top 15 Non-Druggy Musicians on the Louder than War website.  http://louderthanwar.com/non-druggy-musicians/+   What?  Really?  And…shocker…he had a soul patch in his high school yearbook picture.  Who knew?  I have a whole new appreciation for Frank Zappa…anti-drugs AND anti-stupidity? 

Now here are some more quotes I found on how rampant stupidity is…

“He was stupid. If I killed everyone who was stupid, I wouldn't have time to sleep.”
― Tamora Pierce

“Stupidity isn't punishable by death. If it was, there would be a hell of a population drop.”
― Laurell K. Hamilton, The Laughing Corpse

How do you argue with stupidity and what’s worse?

“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”
― Mark Twain

Been there…done that.  It don’t work.

“I'll take crazy over stupid any day.”
― Joss Whedon

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”
― Albert Einstein

“I would prefer an intelligent hell to a stupid paradise.”
― Blaise Pascal

“Beauty fades, dumb is forever.”
― Judy Sheindlin, Beauty Fades, Dumb is Forever

“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.”
― George Carlin

“It's the fools that make all the trouble in the world, not the wicked.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Jane of Lantern Hill

“Smart people have the brains, but stupid people have the balls”
― Ana Sáez González

This one is particularly vexing.  Why is it that the stupid people have the balls and the big mouths?  But the guys with the brains are soft-spoken?  Is it over-compensating?  Yes, I think it is!

Stupid quotes that definitely have a personal ring of truth to yours truly.

I think stupid people were put on this planet to test my anger management skills.

― unattributed

My people skills are just fine.  It’s my tolerance for idiots that needs work.

― unattributed

My degree of sarcasm depends on your degree of stupidity.

― unattributed

I’ll try to be nicer if you try to be smarter.

― unattributed

“There's a thin line between genius and bottom-barrel stupidness. I hover delicately on a tightrope between the two, wondering where I'll land if I'll ever fall.”
― Suzanne Crowley, The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous

I’m shy at first, but I do the stupidest random shit when I get comfortable with someone.

― unattributed

Actually, these last two weren’t me…Stupid Girl did those.  (My story, and I’m gonna stay on that ride until I puke!)

Quotes that had to be included just because they are fabulous!

“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.”
― Napoléon Bonaparte

Truer words were never spoken.  Remember this in the upcoming election!

“Never ascribe to malice that which can adequately be explained by incompetence.”
― Napoléon Bonaparte

Yeah, we’ve all met this person.  And why is she always the one in charge of all the other stupid people?  Peter Principle at work!

“A stupid man's report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.”
― Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy

“I swear, talking to you is like talking to a really good-looking and mildly stupid brick wall.”
― Derek Landy, Death Bringer

I dated that guy once…only once.  LOL

“If your brains were dynamite there wouldn't be enough to blow your hat off.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Timequake

 “If stupidity got us in this mess, how come it can't get us out?”
― Will Rogers

Good question!  Ever notice that Will Rogers had a lot of good questions?  Sadly, I couldn’t find where he ever answered this question for us.  Very unfortunate.

“If there were a master of stupidity in this world,
I would really love to listen to his success story.”
― Toba Beta, Betelgeuse Incident: Insiden Bait Al-Jauza

Hmmm…read that one again.  It’s subtle…sneaks up on ya.

“When you're surrounded by stupidity, self-preservation isn't a sin.”
― Meljean Brook, Riveted

This one should be justification for shortening the waiting period to buy a gun.  Just sayin…

“There are only 2 paths to happiness in life. Utter Stupidity or Exceptional Wealth.”
― Ziad K. Abdelnour, Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics

“Life is hard:  it’s even harder if you’re stupid.”
― John Wayne

I’m not saying you’re stupid.  I’m just saying you’ve got bad luck when it comes to thinking.

― unattributed

How do we get rid of stupid?

“I’m not saying let’s go kill all the stupid people…I’m just saying let’s remove all the warning labels and let the problem sort itself out.”
― found on Yourecards

Problem solved.  All those warning labels that say don’t eat the razor blades or operate your electric blow dryer underwater…eliminate the label, eliminate the problem!

Stupidity should be painful.

― unattributed

Freedom of speech does not protect you from the consequences of saying stupid shit.

― unattributed

Here we go.  We train our children with pain and consequences…let’s do that!  Oh wait—those stupid adults came from children.  Hmmm…I’m thinking someone didn’t do their job when it came to inflicting pain and handing out consequences.  (No ugly letters please…you know I’m being a smart-ass.)  Just sayin…

Against stupidity, God himself is helpless.          (say it ain’t so!!!)

― unattributed

I don’t want to think about this last one.  Because when all else fails, I want a higher power to turn to in hopes of eliminating the problem.  Oh wait…that higher power is the one that created all those stupid people.  ARGH!  There is no hope…he loves them.

The bottom line on stupidity…

Don’t try to explain yourself to stupid people.  You’re not the jackass whisperer.

― unattributed

And then there is my all-time favorite, which fills my heart with sadness, hopelessness, and desperation…

 “You can’t fix stupid.”
― Ron White, comedian

…but it’s still funny shit.  Here’s your sign!

So, what we’ve learned here today is that stupidity is everywhere, it has no shelf life, it comes with balls, it should be painful and have consequences, killing them isn’t an option, you can’t argue with them, sometimes other maladies such as crazy are preferable, it tests our anger management skills, it brings out sarcasm, it isn’t a sin to protect yourself from it, and…leave them alone…you are NOT the jackass whisperer!

How about you?  Got a favorite quote about stupidity?  Got a good “stupid” story?  I’d love to hear it.

Thanks for tuning in.  Stay safe, stay happy, stay away from rampant stupidity…it can be contagious.  Just ask Stupid Girl!!!

That’s my story, stupid and sad, and I’m stickin’ to it.  Hang on tight now, ‘cuz we’re gonna go real, real fast!

Love ya,

Kayce

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

           Today is my grandfather’s birthday and I’m thinking of him although it doesn’t need to be his birthday for that to happen. I think about him quite often and always with the utmost love in my heart. He was a good man (and believe me, I don’t give that kind of praise easily) who laughed like Popeye the Sailor Man and was fond of wearing hats with little feathers stuck in the band. He was funny and kind and always, always a gentleman of the first order. There is something to be said about memories and the warm, loving glow one gets wh

en they think of someone who is no longer with us.

            I was fortunate when I was young to spend a lot of time with him and my grandmother. Our special thing to do on Saturday mornings was feed the ducks at the park….just me and him. We’d take off early and spend the morning throwing pieces of stale bread into the water for my feathered friends (I’ve heard we’re not supposed to do this anymore). I learned later, when he and I were much older and he was ill, that sometimes the bread we tossed wasn’t stale. He’d go to the store the night before just to make we’d have enough. It was Pepper Ridge Farm bread too….the good stuff!

            When I was a little older (and yes, we still fed the ducks on Saturday mornings), I would be allowed to walk down to the bus stop on Friday evenings (if it wasn’t too dark) and wait for him to get off the bus (he worked in New York City for Western Union and took the bus every day so Grandma could have the car). I remember him getting off the bus, big smile on his face, tie never loosened but his suit jacket slung over his arm and we’d stroll to the A&P to pick up something special for dinner that night. The A&P had coffee bean grinders at the end of each register. The aroma hit you as soon as you walked in the door. To this day, the smell of fresh ground coffee reminds me of him.  

            Happy birthday, Grandpa! Thanks for the wonderful memories!

As always, happy reading (and remembering)

Marie

Autumn

     I love autumn. It’s my favorite time of year. The stifling, energy-sapping summer heat is over and the mornings are now a little cooler, with a hint of crispness in the air (just a hint, mind you…after all, this is Phoenix).

         Growing up back east, autumn brought so many wonderful things. Hayrides. Leaves changing colors and falling from the trees and yes, I did my fair share of raking those leaves into piles, but I also had the fun of jumping into those piles…I’m in my fifties now, but I still miss that. Carving jack-o-lanterns. Dressing up for Halloween. Thanksgiving and a chance to visit with family and friends.

         Yes, this time of year makes me feel alive as no other season does, although living in Phoenix makes autumn a little different. Leaves really don’t change color and flutter to the ground here (one has to go up to Northern Arizona to see that miracle), but still, for me, autumn is so much more than just a change of season. It’s a change of mind. A change of feeling. A change of being. And a chance to stroll down memory lane. All rolled into one.

         What’s your favorite season?

As always, happy reading!

Marie