Thoughts @ Large: 59

• On a recent edition of CBS Sunday Morning, host Jane Pauley interviewed cartoonist Garry Trudeau.  My spouse remarked how odd it must be to interview one’s own husband.  “Trudeau is Jane Pauley’s husband?” I said.  “Yes, how could you not know that?” she said. In my defense, I do know who was the first to verify Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity (namely, astronomer Arthur Eddington, in 1919).  But how could anyone not know that?

• Speaking of Einstein: Alan Lightman, author of the 1993 novel Einstein’s Dreams, made a seemingly innocuous observation in the third paragraph of his prologue as he described “… the young man’s desk … cluttered with half-opened books …”  I had nearly finished the paragraph when I stopped to ask myself, what exactly is a half-opened book?

• Life is like calculus: a lot of unnoticeable differences make a difference.

• Rank these Nabisco snack products from highest to lowest fat content: Oreos cookies, Cheese Nips crackers, Chicken in a Biskit crackers, Ritz crackers, Nutter Butter cookies.  Answers below (and no fair looking at their so-called “Nutrition Facts” labels).

• The actor Meryl Streep has appeared in over 55 films and has won three Oscars and eight Golden Globes.  Netflix streams only three of her films, Julie and Julia, Mamma Mia! and The River Wild.  These may have been very good films, but they clearly do not measure up to Happy Gilmore or The Ridiculous 6 — just two of the thirteen films on Netflix starring zero-time Oscar or Golden Globe winner Adam Sandler.

Ritz wins with 28% fat, followed by Chicken in a Biskit at 26%, Nutter Butter at 21.4%, Oreos at 20.5% and Cheese Nips at 20.0%.  See, Oreos aren’t as bad as you thought.

• Saying “oops” when you accidentally honk your horn and no one is around.  Closing the bathroom door for privacy when you are alone in the house.  Reaching for the light switch when you enter a room during a power outage.  These are a few of my behavioral things.

• A guy with an identity crisis answers the phone and says, “Hello, is this me?”

• In early 2017, I wrote here about the so-called Trump Rally in the U.S. stock market and pointed out how the rise in stock prices after his election was nothing unusual, despite all the chest-thumping by Trump and his shills.  Now, as Trump enters his third year, there is not even a mirage of a rally for him to take undeserved credit for — the S&P 500 index is exactly where one would expect it to be based on its long-term trend (7.1% per year).

• I like to think of myself as an evidence-based person — I am skeptical of product (and political) claims, I never buy extended warranties (companies would not sell them if they didn’t make money) and I don’t pray.  Yet I harbor my own superstitions.  I take lutein every day on the off-chance it will preserve my eye health.  I don’t root for athletes to fail (except for Tom Brady) because of the what-goes-around-comes-around principle.  And I always tip well, in the belief that those extra couple of dollars will matter to someone.

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4 responses to Thoughts @ Large: 59

  1. Rick says:

    Time to buy some Oreos. I join you in dislike of the patriots and Tom Brady .
    Any mention of calculus makes my stomach turn or anything above algebra one . I also close the door when I’m alone in the house in the bathroom and I even lock it. If a burglar got in I don’t want him to see me on the toilet . I got you beat when I was trying to find my flashlight one time I was using my flashlight to try to find it .

  2. Rob says:

    This is in lieu of the like button.

  3. Bruce says:

    Many fascinating points to ponder as usual, but on the off-chance that you still haven’t gotten past the third paragraph… https://unsplash.com/photos/67rnodKzsRQ

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