This Sounds Weird

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Sunset, the local funeral home, has remodeled and is having an open house this weekend.

According to the article, a junior high orchestra will be performing on Saturday, and a harpist will be featured on Sunday. Kinda makes me glad I didn’t learn an instrument! You never know what kind of gig you will get. 

And to make things feel a little less weird, those who register will have the chance to win door prizes and get special discounts. I have an idea what the special discounts might include, but what kind of door prizes would one win at a funeral home open house? I may need to stop by just to find out!

I know, I know: We will all need them one day, but really, an open house? That just sounds weird.

UPDATE: By 11:30 on Saturday, I was the only one who had shown up for the open house. In fact, the orchestra didn’t even show up. They still haven’t called to tell me that I won a door prize (it was a $100 gift card), so others may have shown up after me.

The open house wasn’t exactly what I had expected; I had two workers escort me around the facilities, showing me each area. It lasted about 5 minutes and I left with the feeling I had a good chance to win the door prize.

Filed Under: Death, Strange

Home Remedies

February 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

For a couple of months now, our home has been afflicted with one type of sickness after another. Nagging coughs, fever, flu, nasal drip, deep chest congestion, earaches, and sinus problems are among the things that have been cycling through our home.

We’ve all been to the doctor with varying degrees of success in dealing with the various ailments, but we’ve also had an assortment of home remedies offered by friends. Some of them sound reasonable, others a bit hard to believe, and still others just too strange for words. Among the well intentioned recommendations were the following: For a nagging cough, apply Vick’s Vapor Rub to the bottom of the feet and wear a pair of socks to bed. Bites of fresh garlic washed down with a glass of water was the suggested remedy for deep chest congestion. And for the flu, we have been told to take 1000mg of vitamin-C each hour.

Seemingly every home remedy is accompanied by this caveat: “I know it sounds strange, but it really does work.”

The bites of fresh garlic to clear chest congestion fell somewhere between sounds reasonable and hard to believe. But desperate for some relief, we decided to make the purchase and give it a try.

I’m not saying that this particular remedy NEVER works, but I can say, it didn’t work in our home. And I knew the next time we saw the person who recommended the garlic bites, she would ask if we tried it, and how it worked. Furthermore, I knew her response would be disbelief when I answered, yes we tried it, and no, it didn’t work. I was right.

Why is it that people can’t believe their sure-fire home remedy doesn’t work for someone else? Lest I be thought to be throwing stones at those who cared enough to offer ideas, let me say thank you for caring. I’m not throwing stones, I’m just thinking out loud about how funny people are; and I include myself because I’ve been known to offer a home remedy or two myself.

Here’s a photo of an in-season, crate-full of home remedy for deep chest congestion.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor (I don’t even play one on TV), and the contents of this post should not be construed as medical advice – either for or against home remedies. I am simply telling my story; your mileage may vary.

Filed Under: agriculture, Life in Israel, Photography, Social Commentary, Strange

Not an April Fool’s Day Joke

April 3, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I purposely didn’t post this on April 1 because it could be too easily seen as an April Fool’s Day Joke. It isn’t.

On a recent trip to Mt. Carmel, as I was driving a group through the Druze village of Daliyat al-Karmel, I noticed what I thought was a “rassling ring” behind a building just off the main road. I didn’t really believe it could be, but I was certain enough of what I thought I saw that I pulled over, grabbed my camera and told my group, “Wait here, I’ll be back in a minute. I think I saw a rassling ring.” Of course, that sounds so bizarre, that none of them believed me, but a few got out to see what it really was that I saw.

As it turned out, what I saw was, in fact, a rassling ring in the back yard of a home in a Druze village. When I first got in place to see the ring, one of the guys had a mask on, which, I guess is part of his rassling persona. However, once he saw me, he moved out of sight and removed his mask before coming back into sight. I didn’t get close enough to talk with them, so I have no idea if they are part of “the show” in America or somewhere else; or if they are simply training to get a chance at a show. From what I saw, I’m guessing they are not yet in “THE show.” 

In the photo sequence below, you can see the two rasslers and an apparent trainer (relaxing against the ropes).

In photo one, the smaller rassler on the right has just been thrown into the ropes and is rebounding toward the larger man coming into the photo from the left (previously in a mask). In photo two, the larger rassler is administering a “flying drop kick” to the head of the smaller rassler. Well, sorta: you can see that he needs more practice, because his kick came up a couple feet short of his intended target. However, to his credit, the missed kick was so powerful that he was still able to knock the smaller rassler down, as can be seen in photo three. Perhaps he isn’t so far from the show, after all. 



NOTICE: No rasslers were harmed in the making of this photo sequence. 

Filed Under: Druze, Israel, Life in Israel, Strange

For the Practical Among Us

February 27, 2007 By Leave a Comment

At CasketFurniture.Com you can get a practical piece of furniture like the Rayonnant Eternaltainment Center pictured here. “It comes apart quickly to create your final place of rest.” Additionally, once the center “casket is removed, the two sides slide together and can be used [by those left behind] for years to come.”

“Why buy a casket for just one day? At CasketFurniture.com, our products can last you a lifetime, and still be the perfect vehicle to carry you to the great beyond. Whether it’s a couch, shelf, or end table, our products are designed to blend effortlessly into most contemporary interior designs. Every product can also be transformed into a high-quality casket at your time of need. Shop our current product selection below, or contact us to find out about custom manufacturing to suit your individual needs.”

Filed Under: Death, Social Commentary, Strange

Dear Abby: Am I Stupid?

February 15, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Dear Abby: Please help me. My lover and I have been disagreeing lately and are considering couples counseling. However, he keeps insisting that we see the marriage counselor he and his wife are currently seeing.

I want to make this relationship work, but I think it’s inappropriate to receive counseling from the same one that they are currently seeing. What do you think?
-Needs Therapy in Texas

How Abby should have responded: DEAR NEEDS THERAPY: You really do need therapy and much more. Your “lover” is a loser. If you couldn’t tell that he’s a loser by the fact that he’s committing adultery with you, it should have been obvious when he suggested that you see the “counselor” that he and his wife are CURRENTLY seeing. He’s pathetic, but you’re worse: you know the details and still “want to make this relationship work.”

How Abby actually responded: DEAR NEEDS THERAPY: I think you should definitely have some sessions with the therapist who is counseling your lover and his wife. They could prove enlightening. I’m willing to bet the farm that the same issues that have caused him to cheat on her are the ones at the root of your problems with him. And I’m not at all sure that “making this relationship work” would ultimately be in your best interests.

Filed Under: Social Commentary, Strange