Strange Addiction

Raoul’s Two Cents: September 19, 2025

Laughter in the Rain

Politics, health issues, bills, the terrible weather can easily ruin our day … but some days get so unusually bad, it’s obvious (at least to me) that “someone” is trying to push my buttons so I just have to literally laugh: “I see what you’re up to … nice try!”

It’s true. Take for example the pain in my stomach this past month. Whenever I stood up I had to wait for my organs to fall into place before I could walk. I suspected a second hernia. Got an X-ray, an MRI, and a CT scan but the doctors told me they couldn’t see anything wrong. They were practically telling me I was just imagining the pain. Incredible!

Drip drip drip

Last week the stabbing pain hit me in the lower left abdomen and my lower back simultaneously. I could neither bend nor stretch. I nursed myself to bed like a pretzel. Then, in the middle of the night, my wife woke me up from a deep sleep. “The downstairs bathroom is flooding!” Immediately, I jumped out of bed. “Yowch!” The pain was still unbearable! But I forced myself down while grappling on the stair railings. Every step was agony.

I discovered it was a burst plastic tube connected to our bidet. (Yup! a French bidet made in China!) You should have seen and heard me bending down and crying out in anguish while a water fountain sprayed my face. I was crying on the outside but laughing on the inside. The dogs were barking frantically while my wife mopped the floor. I went down the basement to shut off the water line and Zing! I slipped on the wet floor! Landed on my upper back. “Major yowch! yowch! yowch!!” It could have been a lot worse — I could have cracked my skull when I slipped. My judo lessons on “how to fall” 40 years ago finally paid off.

I opened the garage door to get to the main line. Outside I felt the cold night air and realized I was only wearing my wet boxer shorts! You could see my buttocks! “What will the neighbors say when they see this half naked pervert dripping all over with a monkey wrench?” It was 2 o’clock in the morning. “Nah! Anyone awake at this time deserves to be scandalized because I’m definitely not going back upstairs just to grab my decent clothes!”

Anyway, with much effort and excruciating torture, I fixed that dang leak and (fortunately) there was no permanent house damage. It was back to sleep with a new throbbing pain on my upper back. “Lord, take me! Take me now!”

The aftermath

It’s been a few days and miraculously, the pain has subsided even without an operation. Maybe the pain was really in my head after all. I giggle now that I think back. I should have done a selfie and it would have gone viral. The headline would have read: “Pervert plumber caught with his pants down!”

Trials are common but we should remember that God allows these things to happen for His purpose (to teach us, to remind us, to make us stronger) and for our own good — even when we don’t understand why. And, if we trust in God’s goodness, all pain can be bearable … if not downright funny.

But this is just me. TGIF people!

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Quotes of the Week

“I wonder if clouds ever look down on us and say ‘Hey look … that one is shaped like an idiot.”’ — Anonymous

“I’m not superstitious … but I am a little stitious.” — Michael Scott, “The Office”

“Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.” – Isaac Asimov

“Sometimes you lie in bed at night and you don’t have a single thing to worry about. That always worries me!” — Charlie Brown

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” — Lamentations 3:21-23

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” — 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, California

Parting Shots

Thanks to Drew of Anaheim, California

Thanks to Kanye of Ontario, CA

Thanks to Fred of Long Beach, California

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Norm of Encino, CA

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.

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