3.17.2020 – c’est si bon, si bon

c’est si bon, si bon
Des petits rien du tout
c’est si bon, si bon

It is so good. So good.

But its the little nothings at all.

It is so good. So good.

I’ll have to check with my beloved niece, the beloved french teacher in Kansas City, about my translation and grasp of syllables.

The thought I am going for is how the current crisis has re-emphasized the little things.

If, last month, you had asked to me list the things that matter most to Americans, I would have listed a lot things.

Will Rogers said that all an American needs is a hamburger and $5 dollars of gasoline to be happy.

Hank Williams opted for a hot rod car and a $2 dollar bill.

But toilet paper?

Last month, I knew March Madness was coming.

Never would have dared imagine that madness in March would cancel March Madness.

On all of this.

Social Distancing.

Hand Sanitizer.

Groups of 10 or less.

I have nothing to say when Eartha Kitt sang it so well.

c’est si bon, si bon.

Of course I know its not.

I have a job I can do at home.

I have a paycheck coming.

It is easy for me to say c’est si bon, si bon.

Have to wait and see what I am saying in 2 weeks.

Meet you all back on the 24th.

Until then, c’est si bon, si bon.

3.15.2020 – should remember that

should remember that
not unhealthy as they fear
healthy as they feel

“How would you like to feel the way she looks?” says Groucho Marx in the movie, “Night at the Opera” as he watches Auzcena the gypsy singing.

I was reminded of that line when I read one the better articles on Coronavirus and what it feels like to come down with and go through the illiness.

The article, What does the coronavirus do to your body? Everything to know about the infection process, by Javier Zarracina, and Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, in a well written and nicely presented fashion recounts how you get the virus, how you feel when you start to come down with the virus and what you go through as the virus works though you.

The authors interviews a Dr. Raphael Viscidi, infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Dr. Viscidi says, “So it’s basically a war between the host response and the virus,” Hirsch said. “Depending who wins this war we have either good outcomes where patients recover or bad outcomes where they don’t.

Restricting oxygen to the bloodstream deprives other major organs of oxygen including the liver, kidney and brain.

In a small number of severe cases that can develop into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which requires a patient be placed on a ventilator to supply oxygen.

However, if too much of the lung is damaged and not enough oxygen is supplied to the rest of the body, respiratory failure could lead to organ failure and death.”

For me, the most important words are, “In a small number of severe cases.”

On 2nd thought those aren’t the most important words from Dr. Viscidi.

The most important words come at the very end of the article.

“People should remember that they’re as healthy as they feel,” Dr. Viscidi said. “And shouldn’t go around feeling as unhealthy as they fear.”

The article says, “Viscidi urges to public to think of the coronavirus like the flu because it goes through the same process within the body. Many people contract the flu and recover with no complications.”

In Night at the Opera, just before Grouch says, “How would you like to feel the way she looks,” he has another great line that more or less sums up my take on all this.

“Boogie, boogie, boogie”

3.14.2020 – coronavirus

coronavirus
said backward, needle reversed
turn me on dead man

If you say CORONAVIRUS backwards, you can hear the phrase, “turn me on deadman.”

Honest!

This haiku is a test.

This is only a test.

This is only a test for the people who know.

How many themes can you find hidden in this Haiku?

Records.

Not Olympic records but music, long playing albums and 45’s.

Record played with a diamond needles.

Hidden messages in records.

Playing records backwards by spinning the turntable manually.

If you could, place the tone arm, as it was called, so the needle was reversed OR just leave it and hope you didn’t wreck the needle.

Possibly the most famous ‘hidden message’ was in the Beatle’s White Album.

In the song, Revolution 9, the words, “number 9, number 9, number 9”, are repeated over and over.

If played backwards in the manner described above, you heard the secret message, “Turn Me on Deadman, Turn me on Deadman.”

You heard about this as a rumor at school.

You tried it home.

It worked!

FRONTWARDS
BACKWARDS

It was thrilling and hilarious.

You tried it all your other albums to find hidden messages.

You wrecked the needle on your record player.

You bragged at school that you heard the message but it wrecked your needle.

If you were REALLY cool you said “stylus” instead of “needle”.

Sermons in churches were based on these hidden messages.

Paul was dead.

Paul wasn’t dead just facing backwards on Sgt. Pepper.

I have never been to England, but I kinda like the Beatles.

My sister Mary screaming “THERE HE IS”, when Paul walked on stage with John Lennon to accept a Grammy.

And people think iPhones are cool.

Go figure.

Help me out, what did I miss?

3.22.2020 – God goes to Starbucks

God goes to Starbucks
gets a flat white and sits down
at hand to talk to

I was sitting at Starbucks the other day when a barrista held up a cup of coffee and yelled out, “God – Flat White? … God? – Flat White?”

Feller in a nice suit raised his hand and came forward and took the cup.

He turned and looked at me, caught my eye and gestured at the empty seat at my table.

I said, “Please.”

And he sat down.

Hard to explain but it came to me that, somehow, someway, God was sitting there with me, sharing a cup of coffee.

We chatted for a moment, the weather, sports and such.

While we chatted I searched my brain for something I could say that would be meaningful or at least not completely stupid.

There was a pause in the conversation and He said to me, “So tell me Mike, how are things going.

I had not told him my name.

I searched through my years in Sunday School, Church and reading the Bible and other books.

I looked at God and I said, “Not bad”

Then I said,

“I wish I was a better disciple.”

He looked at me for a good long minute, nodding his head.

“Well, you know the rules right?”

“Deny myself,” as I sat there with a $5 cup of coffee.

He nodded.

“Pick up my cross”

“And follow me,” He finished.

He nodded.

I nodded.

And I got emboldened.

Maybe recklessly emboldened.

“But,” I said, “That Cross. Lately, I am sorry, but that Cross has been too heavy.”

“Carrying it is too hard”

Boy was I surprised.

“No problem,” He said,

“We get a lot of that. Come with me.”

The next thing I knew we were at like a returns counter at Walmart.

On my back was this heavy, heavy Cross.

“Got a return here,” He said to the people behind the desk.

They all seemed to know him.

They came out from behind the desk and helped me unstrap the Cross on my back.

They took the Cross and put it on a little conveyor belt and it disappeared into a hole in the wall.

He took a sip of his coffee and said, “Now, come with me.”

He had this voice that I can only describe as ‘cool.’

We turned and there behind us was the Walmart of Crosses.

Aisles and Aisles.

Racks and racks.

“Try one on,” He said.

And I did.

It didn’t fit and I tried a another.

I tried tall ones, fat ones, red ones, blues ones, heavy ones and fragile ones.

I tried them all on so it seemed.

He was very patient.

He had ordered a trenta Flat White and continued to sip as I searched.

Finally, and I mean FINALLY, I found this Cross on a rack.

I took it down and got the straps over my shoulders and tightened them up across my chest.

I took the straps in my hands with my thumbs under the straps and felt the heft of the Cross.

I bounced up and down on my toes, flexed my knees.

Took a few steps back and forth.

This Cross fit.

Fit like it was made for me.

“This one,” I said.

“This is the one”

“This is the one I can handle.”

He nodded.

“Mike,” he said,

He took a sip.

“Mike”

“That’s the one you came in with.”