{"id":2884,"date":"2025-09-19T18:59:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T18:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/?p=2884"},"modified":"2025-09-19T18:59:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T18:59:39","slug":"strange-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/adventure\/strange-addiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Strange Addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Raoul’s Two Cents: September 19, 2025<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Laughter in the Rain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Politics, health issues, bills, the terrible weather can easily ruin our day \u2026 but some days get so unusually bad, it\u2019s obvious (at least to me) that \u201csomeone\u201d is trying to push my buttons so I just have to literally laugh: \u201cI see what you\u2019re up to \u2026 nice try!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s 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\u2019t see anything wrong. They were practically telling me I was just imagining the pain. Incredible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip drip drip<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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. \u201cThe downstairs bathroom is flooding!\u201d Immediately, I jumped out of bed. \u201cYowch!\u201d <\/em>The pain was still unbearable! But I forced myself down while grappling on the stair railings. Every step was agony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. \u201cMajor yowch! yowch! yowch!!\u201d<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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! \u201cWhat will the neighbors say when they see this half naked pervert dripping all over with a monkey wrench?\u201d<\/em> It was 2 o\u2019clock in the morning. \u201cNah! Anyone awake at this time deserves to be scandalized because I\u2019m definitely not going back upstairs just to grab my decent clothes!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. \u201cLord, take me! Take me now!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aftermath<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s 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: \u201cPervert plumber caught with his pants down!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t understand why. And, if we trust in God\u2019s goodness, all pain can be bearable \u2026 if not downright funny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is just me. TGIF people!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like my emails, please do me a favor and spread them around. Thank you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mailchimp has been tampering with my email database so you might get cut off. If that ever happens, you can find me here in travelingboy and resubscribe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quotes of the Week<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“I wonder if clouds ever look down on us and say <\/em>‘Hey look \u2026 that one is shaped like an idiot.\u201d’<\/em> — Anonymous<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not superstitious<\/strong> \u2026 but I am a little stitious<\/strong>.\u201d <\/em>\u2014 Michael Scott, \u201cThe Office\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLife is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It\u2019s the transition that\u2019s troublesome.\u201d <\/em>– Isaac Asimov<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes you lie in bed at night and you don\u2019t have a single thing to worry about. That always worries me!\u201d <\/em>\u2014 Charlie Brown<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD\u2019s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.\u201d <\/em>— Lamentations 3:21-23<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor 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.\u201d<\/em> — 2 Corinthians 4:17-18<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joke of the Week<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, California<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Original art by Raoul Pascual.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parting Shots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to Drew of Anaheim, California<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thanks to Kanye of Ontario, CA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thanks to Fred of Long Beach, California<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Thanks to Norm of Encino, CA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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I found these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Got any good jokes? Come share it with rest of us!
Know someone who enjoys a laugh? Share this website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUBSCRIBE<\/a><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LAUGHTER IN THE RAIN: 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. \u201cThe downstairs bathroom is flooding!\u201d Immediately, I jumped out of bed. \u201cYowch!\u201d The pain was still unbearable! But I forced myself down while grappling on the stair railings. 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