Whimsical Wanderings

True story: At a wedding the bride and groom did a candle-lighting ceremony. Holding a small flame together, they began lighting a series of candles, a beautiful picture of two becoming one and blessing their union. When they got to the third candle a little girl’s voice filled the church: “Happy Birthday to y—” The sound suddenly stopped as a hand cove…

Everybody gets urges, to one degree or another. They arise somewhere in the brain and send signals to your body so you can act on the urge. But it’s not always a good thing to act on your urges, which is why we have another part of the brain that sends messages like, “Be careful” or “Don’t be an idiot.” Still another part of our brain considers the arguments for and against, and makes the decision whether to act on the urge. At least, that’s what Aristotle recommended.

Whimsical Wanderings is a reader-supported publication. To receive all posts and join the conversation, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Bill Dundee died at the age of 82. He is described as a “legendary wrestler” out of Memphis, by which is meant wrestling as scripted entertainment, not an Olympic-style sport. I remember watching pro wrestling on TV with my big brother, who was into it for a while, and I kept thinking, “Are they really doing that to each other?

Random word: Wait You can wait for your paycheck, and you can wait for your wife to get ready to go out (or for your husband to get off the couch and mow the lawn). You can wait for Godot, and you can wait on tables, which is a great way to get to know people, all kinds of people, and how people treat other people, especially people who wait on tables.

Today’s Wandering is free for everyone. To receive all posts and support my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Dolly Parton died, as everyone knows. And as many have pointed out, she may have been the last universally admired person in our cultural landscape, having managed to avoid partisan hatreds, online bickerings, and diva narcissism. She was a talented singer-songwriter, but was just as impressive as an entrepreneur.

A woman was heading out the door to go shopping. Her husband told her, “Don’t you buy any expensive dresses!” His wife said, “What if I find one I really like?” Her husband replied, “Just say, ‘Get behind me, Satan!’”

Every now and again in my fair city, I turn on the local news and find a “high-speed chase” in progress. Some dolt has stolen a car or truck and is on the run from the cops—on freeways, residential streets, sidewalks, even public parks. Last week Mrs. B and I were settling in to watch another episode of Person of Interest, when we saw on the news several black-and-white police vehicles chasing a guy on a dirt bike (a motorcycle designed for off-roading).

Random word: Voice You can be the voice of reason, but who will hear you these days? We live in a cacophony (isn’t that a great word? One we learned as kids and thought, “What a great word.”) of voices shouting and fulminating (another great word, from the Latin for thunderbolt. Zeus was the great fulminator of Greek mythology, and is rightly called the god of podcasters).

Whimsical Wanderings exists because of reader support. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber and receive every jot and tittle of my work, including all issues of JSB’s Whiz Bang. It’s hot today. It’s San Fernando Valley hot, which isn’t quite Arizona hot, because Arizona is Hell’s stove. But here in Los Angeles we get our share of triple-digit days, and always have. Climate changes, up and down. Climate’s been doing that ever since weather was invented by the ancient Chinese.

Bonnie Tyler died. The Welsh singer was 75 and achieved worldwide fame with her hit song “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” It sold 13 million copies and became her standard. Like Tyler, some singers get forever associated with one song. For example, Don McLean and “American Pie.” That monster hit has a long history of interpretations. Is it about the death of Buddy Holly? About Bob Dylan (“the Jester”) stealing the “thorny crown” from “the King” (Elvis Presley)?