I wake up to the sound of chimes – my iPhone alarm, quickly discover the moment of sunrise and pray on my inexpensive but rather cozy prayer rug, make myself instant coffee and then rush about plugging in and powering all of my devices. The two iPhones, the iWatch, the computer, the two iPads. It is a major production. No idea what would happen if the power went out for some reason. I would be totally crippled and unable to function.
Then a quick glance at Instagram to receive several cheerful messages from people. What was my favorite this morning? This one.
He: Can’t wait to cuddle
Me: How sweet! Woke up to this message.
He: Good morning my dear! Have a wonderful woman’s day full of love. Of course from me.
But then a terribly painful Instagram Story from the Ukraine, showing the debris, the carnage and the killing in her City.
Me: I pray to Allah to keep you safe. With love, Alexis (the next Czar by this name but shot by the forces of evil) I also sent a caring voice message.
She: Thank you so much Alexis, we try.
The absolute absurdity is that both of these individuals worked at the Rixos Resort at the same time. No idea if they knew one another, I guess I could ask them.
Sometimes , both in my everyday life and in this blog., I feel like I am walking on a tight rope, an interesting expression that came to mind,Googled it and came up with this: . If you walk/tread a tightrope, you have to deal with a difficult situation, especially one involving making a decision between two opposing plans of action: This rather mundane sentence is an example of the use the expression. “Many manufacturers have to walk a tightrope between pricing their goods too high and not selling them, and pricing them low and losing money.” Here is another sentence: I feel as though I’m walking a tightrope between success and failure. But here is another explanation which is perhaps most apt to this situation. to be in a difficult situation that demands careful and considered behaviour.
The world these days seem to be in a very bad place; and the situation, at some point, should be considered, explored and addresed. However, spreading gloom and doom is not necessarily helpful to anyone and I have the means, method and opportunity to bring cheer, to lighten things up. But to be cheerful in the face of such adversity seem insensitive. So that is my conundrum – a confusing and difficult problem or question. It is a quandary, dilemma; puzzle, enigma, mystery; stumper, cruncher. I need to find a way out of this quandary, this dilemma, this cruncher. The answer comes suddenly. Today I shall be funny, bring humor through this blog – and tomorrow will address the problems of the world.
I am aided and abetted by humor found in the reliable New Yorker. It is Andy Horowitz again taking aim at Putin with satire. MOSCOW (The Borowitz Report)—Vladimir Putin is “very upset” that the Ukrainian people are far less obedient than Donald J. Trump, Kremlin sources have confirmed. According to the sources, Trump’s four years of ardent toadying left the Russian President emotionally unprepared for the Ukrainians’ defiance.“If I wanted Trump to do something, I’d just snap my fingers and consider it done,” Putin reportedly said. “It was wonderful.”
Andy continues in fine form. “After he invaded, he kept waiting for the Ukrainians to tell him how strong and smart he was,” the source said. “When there were no displays of Trumpian sycophancy, his mood darkened.” At a Kremlin meeting over the weekend, Putin’s frustration at the Ukrainians for being less obsequious than Trump boiled over, sources said.“If the President of the United States can abandon democracy and the rule of law, why can’t these people?” Putin asked, pounding his desk.”
Sycophancy is an absolutely great word, thank Andy for it. It means obsequious behavior toward someone important in order to gain advantage.
“In modern English, sycophant denotes an “insincere flatterer” and is used to refer to someone practising sycophancy (i.e., insincere flattery to gain advantage). The word has its origin in the legal system of Classical Athens. Most legal cases of the time were brought by private litigants as there was no police force and only a limited number of officially appointed public prosecutors. By the fifth century BC this practice had given rise to abuse by “sycophants”: litigants who brought unjustified prosecutions. It retains the same meaning (‘slanderer’) in Modern Greek, French,”
But humor shall emerge yet again, also from the New Yorker. An article speaking of the art of procrastination when facing a run. I shall provide the link but here are some of the high points.
“It’s too early in the morning. I would go for a run, but I also believe that I need sleep and deserve to keep lying in bed, indefinitely.
It’s too late at night. I could go for a run, but I worked hard today, so never mind.
I recently read that you should eat breakfast before you work out. Your body needs fuel. I really want to go for a run, but the thing is my run will actually be better if I eat a full English breakfast beforehand.
Wow, I just finished an incredible plate of eggs and beans. The time is right for a run, but running with a full stomach can lead to indigestion, so I’ll need to wait several weeks.
My phone says that it might rain in ten hours.
It’s windy.
It’s so cold, and I own a really soft fleece blanket. According to research from a team of Danish scientists, I should curl up under it instead of going for a run.
It’s so hot. A study by Swedish scientists concluded that running when it’s hot is bad. Yes, bad no matter what, even if you wear a hat or have one of those belts with tiny water bottles attached to it. I believe the study also said that those belts are confusing and make you look like a water officer.
I’m supposed to meet a friend in six hours. If I go for a run, I might enjoy it so much that I end up running for the full six hours. I’m a good friend and I don’t want to be late, so even though I would love to go for a run I will not.
I already took a shower today. If I go for a run, I will have to shower a second time, and that would use too much water. I care about the environment, so I will abstain from running.
I have no clean running clothes.
I have too many cute running outfits and I can’t choose which one to put on. Instead, I will continue to wear my nightgown.
I think I hear a parade outside. The people may need my running path, so I will cede it to them.”
Here is the link: https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/totally-legitimate-reasons-that-i-cant-go-for-a-run?utm_source=onsite-share&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=onsite-share&utm_brand=the-new-yorker
I gave up running several years ago but still find this hilariously funny. But wait, wait there is more! Again from The New Yorker with a title found intriguing as I am an extrovert. The Cost of Being an Extrovert. https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/the-cost-of-being-an-extrovert?utm_source=onsite-share&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=onsite-share&utm_brand=the-new-yorker. It consists of a number of cartoons which are impossible to replicate in this blog. But you are certain to laugh.
But one of the funniest is yet to come. How My Cool Husband Became a Dud Husband and it has a very interesting twist, it personalized the article in a strange way.
Photographs attached were taken at the Abu Dhabi Louvre, the recent trip when I was pushed by SAD. The one of the stone is a milestone on the road to Mecca. It came from Saudi Arabia 700-900. The inscription says 7 miles to Mecca. What a story to be told – how this stone got to the Louvre in 2022. Fascinating. It was a glorious day – not to be forgotten.
