Out and About – Week of February 1st

About two years ago, I found myself experiencing a sneezing fit every couple of days. It consisted of about eight or nine sneezes in a row. I don’t have any allergies, and could be sitting at home, working in my office, or driving my car, when the sneezes occurred. My wife experiences the same thing. I’d be interested in knowing more about these sneezes, if for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity. I was having coffee with a friend of mine a week ago, when she sneezed ten times in a row. I mean she didn’t have time to catch her breath. It was one of those times when one “God Bless You” would cover it. That’s another thing that stirs my curiosity. Why do we say “God Bless You”? The only thing I can think of is that every time you sneeze, your heart stops beating for that one second, in which case you have a chance of dying. The theory that your heart stops briefly as you sneeze, is not a fact, and it might just be an urban myth.
High-speed racecar drivers have to be careful not to sneeze during a race. Every time you sneeze, your eyes close for a few seconds, and that could be very dangerous, because you can cover a lot of surface, if you’re traveling 200 miles per hour and have your eyes closed even for three or four seconds. Your eyes close every time you sneeze, otherwise your eyeballs will pop out. This could be another urban myth.
Sneezes can be rather cute. When a man sneezes, he does it like a man. By that, I mean he makes sure that everyone in the room is aware of the sneeze. Ladies, on the other hand, can sneeze and all that you might hear would be a slight “Bttts”.
I’d like to offer my opinion on a subject that really has me upset. I understand that “Cursive” is no longer being taught in our schools. Eventually no one will know how to sign his or her name. I have not heard a valid reason why this is happening. Think for a moment on how many times we need to sign our name. I’m a Notary, and my business involves verifying who a person is and having them sign their name on a piece of paper. How is this eventually going to be handled? If they don’t teach Cursive anymore, eventually they will not be offering Wood Shop or Machine Shop in high school. Oh, I’m sorry, those classes have already been eliminated. I sure hope they never cut “Manners 101” or “Common Sense for Beginners”. Oh, how I long for those good old days.
In closing, I’d like to thank the teachers out there. Both of my parents were teachers back when teachers could spend more time teaching and less time disciplining. Today teachers are faced with more restrictions than they were ten years ago. As a result, their job has become more difficult, and the fun of educating is quickly disappearing. That is truly a shame. If it weren’t for teachers, no one would have a job. Think about that the next time you criticize those who spend more time with children than most parents.
See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman