Penguins in a Truck

Raoul’s Two Cents: July 30, 2021

What a Dump!

In the opening scene of the movie “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” George and Martha Washington walk to their humble home, unlock the front door and see the horror of their dirty house. “What a dump!” Martha exclaims — giving us a glimpse of the battle what was to unfold in the movie.

This past week was a “dump” of cinematic proportions for me — one battle after another.

A newsletter I was working on had to be sidelined because of an emergency. A major website that I manage (Travelingboy.com) crashed and the backup didn’t work. The guy who worked on the server gave me false hopes and he confessed later that he didn’t have any solution. He wasted valuable time. The problem was exacerbated because my trusted assistant (named W2) was not available. W2 contracted a very bad case of Covid and is on his 3rd month now in the hospital. The irony (though not conclusive) is W2 was safely isolated in his home but got infected the one time that he and his wife stepped out to get vaccinated. No telling when W2 will be able to resume his duties. I could have really used his help.

A book that I designed and ready for print turned out to have the wrong specs because the publisher changed their default template after I started working on the book.

I also got my first traffic violation ever! I didn’t follow my own sacred driving rule: “If you want to go fast, just follow the fastest car on the freeway.” I was talking to my wife and I didn’t realize the other drivers were following me! Thanks to my speeding ticket I have to pay a huge amount and go to traffic school. What a dump!!!

Where was God to allow this to happen to me? Hey, if you can blame God, you probably believe in the prosperity gospel. It’s the problem-free philosophy. Hakuna Matata! False preachers promise Christians a life of happiness and wealth IF you donate to their private jet. News flash! If you hear your priest, pastor, leader, talk like that or look like televangelists Jim Baker or Jimmy Swaggert — RUN FORREST RUN!!! There is no guarantee that life will have no worries for the rest of your days when one becomes a Christian. The only guarantee is that God will never forsake us nor abandon us. He will walk us through our dark days.

It’s easy to enlarge the dramas in your life and bypass the blessings along the way. I could have lost the thousands of articles and images on that website. W2 could have died. I am happy to report that W2’s getting better and the Traveling Boy website is finally up and running.

I could have had to start the book design from scratch. Thankfully, my client figured a way around the restrictions so the book is scheduled for printing. I am now able to work on the newsletter and other stuff that has been piling up.

I could have had an accident on the freeway. I could have been strip-searched, locked in prison for the rest of my days playing Hakuna Matata with my harmonica, but all I got was a fine.

Indeed, God blessed me instead with “minor” problems.

This is what King David wrote in Psalm 30:4-5 when he was fleeing from his enemies. (This was one of my Mom’s favorite verses.) David knew he could trust God:

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.

I hope your days are bright, enjoyable and blessed. And if you are going through a valley of despair, look up! Someone’s watching over you.

TGIF!

Raoul

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Joke of the Week

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA for this joke.

Video of the Week

Thanks to Luz of La Habra, CA for this pleasant video.
This isn’t a joke but I (surprisingly) never heard this song before and couldn’t stop singing this song after I had listened to it. Hope you like it too.

HARVEST MOON

And if you want to hear a cheery tune, don’t forget our family video of “My Corgis and Me”. I added the lyrics and chords. CLICK HERE.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Mel of Washington DC for these jokes.

Bill Nye
BS Mechanical Engineering = Cornell University

Dolph Lundgren
BS Chemistry = Washington State University
BS Chemical Engineering = Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
MS Chemical Engineering = University of Sydney
Fulbright Scholarship Recipient – MIT

Thanks to Rodney of Manitoba B.C. for this joke.

Thanks to Don of Kelowna B.C. for this joke.