Grounds for Divorce

THE FEAR OF MATH

   Tomorrow is Pi Day. That means tomorrow's date is the numbers in the mathematical constant known as Pi [3.141592653]. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should go back to High School). So tomorrow at 9:26 am (or pm) and 53 seconds, a group of math whizs will be eating pie.
    I have never enjoyed numbers. Struggled with it since Grade School. I know many right brained creatives who tremble in fear when they see an equation. I believe it's not really the person but the teacher who is to be blamed. When I was in my freshman year in H.S. I had the best Algebra teacher in the world and through her I understood the simplicity of it all. In my second year I moved to another H.S. and for the first few months I was one of the top math students in my batch without even trying. But as the year progressed I lost my edge and, hard as I tried, I was barely passing by year's end. In retrospect, I believe I had the fear of failure and subconsciously, that's exactly what happened.
   Enter my classmate Bobby. Bobby was my first encounter with pure math genius. He could figure out complex Algorythmic-Watcha-McCall-its in his head. He would shout the square root of a seven digit number the second after our teacher wrote the last digit. He couldn't explain it. He just knew it. As far as practical application, he was excellent at the billiard table.
   You would think he'd be a millionaire by now but on the contrary, he lives a simple life (at least from last I heard). Was he also afraid of failure?
   We all have skeletons in our closet. No matter what age, we can allow our fears to rule over us or we can overcome it and catapult us to glory.

""Windmills, remember, if you fight with them... may swing round their huge arms and cast you down into the mire!... Or up, among the stars!"
--- Cyrano de Bergerac

Wisdom from Tom of Pasadena, CA
Words of Wisdom

Teachers open the door but you must enter yourself.
--- Chinese Proverb

Thanks to this week's winners:
Tom of Pasadena; Don of Kelowna;
Mike, Audrey and Charlie of New York; Levon of Los Angeles.


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The Truth Behind the Bin Ladin Capture
Contributed by Mike of New York

(A side note: Did you know that one of our TGIF readers was part of that raid? Cool, huh? --- Raoul)


A Judge Asks a Woman Why She Wants a Divorce
Contributed by Tom of Pasadena, CA


Videos of the week:

Golf Trick Shot
Contributed by Charlie of New York

Golf Trick Shot

You don't need to be a golfer to appreciate this video.

Smooth Operator at the Gym
Contributed by Audrey of New York

GYM Cool

A short video of a boomer playing it real cool at the gym.

Validation
Contributed by Levon of Los Angeles, CA

Validation: Long video

A 16 minute video about a parking validation checker. It's got several sub plots so if you're in a hurry, move on. Otherwise, it's a nice story. Good lesson.

Blue Angels Cockpit
Contributed by Tom of Pasadena, CA

Blue Angles Cockpit

I know there are some aviators among you. Have you ever wondered what it must feel like to fly a jet fighter? A Blue Angels pilot attached a camera in front of the cockpit and you see his expression, hear his communication and you can almost feel the surge of incredible speed. A million dollar jet can give you the ultimate high.

Unbelievable Motorcycle Accident
Contributed by Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Unbelievable Motorcycle Accident

I've always wanted to ride a motorcycle because the gas is cheaper and it can weave through traffic. Alas, I can't even ride a bike. Sad. But after watching this short video, I think I'm good just where I am.

Quebec Religious Pranks
Contributed by Charlie of New York

Canadian Religious Gags

Still there? Here's a collection of practical jokes. The best ones are at the end.

TGIF people!

Comments

Yes. Bobby lived and still lives the simple life. He never finished college, ran out of money I guess. Bobby lived through hard times. He had to do a lot of odd jobs to survive – electrician, house painter & general handyman. He retired from a big soda company as a salesman ... a job I thought he enjoyed. Quite strange for a math genius who really liked being around people. I figure that was a few years ago when he formally married the woman he has grand kids with. He invited us his classmates to the wedding and reception. There were probably 12 to 15 of us who attended.

Bobby is now the house Pool Pro of a local bar in a tourist area. I guess he makes money on wagers and he sells custom made pool cue sticks he buys wholesale at a neat profit ... he does look really old. So even today, Bobby is still having fun.

N, a fellow HS classmate

Great intro on Math and really enjoyed Funeral in People's front yard!

Tom

All right, here's a joke in honor of tomorrow (although it's too late for this edition)!

Did you hear about the movie biography based on the number 3.141592653?

Aw c'mon, surely you've heard of the "Life of Pi"!

Cheryl of Arcadia, CA

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