Covid Survivor

It was the second sleepless night for my sister. What started as a mild fever had escalated to a classic case of Covid 19. Her doctor was no help. He was textbook-trained but he had no first-hand experience with the disease. Sis couldn’t sleep in a normal postion because of the constriction in her lungs. She was told to lay on her stomach but that didn’t work. Standing up was not a solution either. How can you sleep while standing up? Heading for a third night of difficulty she got a phone call from my daughter (a nurse who works in the red zone). My daughter told her about flowler’s position — sleeping at an angle. (SEE DIAGRAM). That’s what saved the day…. (I mean) the night. Later on, my daughter gave her more tips that led to her full recovery. I’m so glad for my sister’s health and so proud of my daughter. You can read my sister’s full testimony as well as her husband’s at TravelingBoy.com. Pass this on. This may save someone’s life.

I’d like to salute our frontliners in this pandemic. I can only speak about my daughter but I’m sure this is the routine of every frontliner. She’s on her feet all day wearing her full plastic armor of face mask, plastic shield, cap and gloves. She trained herself not to scratch her nose or wipe her eyes. There are 60 doctors and nurses where she works. Despite their precaution, only my daughter and 2 other nurses have not yet had Covid. (I guess masks are good but it is the vaccines that are the game changers). She goes home after a full shift but she does not enter the house yet. She has to change in the garage, wrap her scrubs in a bag, go inside to take a bath. Only then, can she hug her kids and her husband.

You are blessed if you live here in America. The vaccines have reached millions already. Infection rates have dipped. My heart goes out to many more countries that still wait for the vaccines to arrive on their shores. Americans get the dosage free. In other countries people have to purchase it (if they are available at all). At least there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel. Let’s continue to pray for this generation.

TGIF people!

Raoul

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
 his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;
 great is your faithfulness.  — Lamentation 3:22-23

BTW, if you need an oximeter, please let me know. A subscriber of my TGIF emails bought one and was given a spare. He is selling the other one cheap.

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA for sharing this pun.

Video: Aging Wife

Thanks to Lee of Alhambra, CA and Craig of Texas

Video: Dolly Parton’s Assault

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Erratum: According to Snopes, last week’s video of a VW Korea Flying car was fake. Sorry about that. Thanks to Rey of Simi Valley, CA for pointing it out to me.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Tony of Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Thanks to Naomi of North Hollywood, CA

The post Amazing Puns appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Revisionists In Our Midst

Joke of the Week

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

Video: Titanic in Sax

Thanks to Tony of Carson City, CA.

Video: Carol Burnett and Dolly Parton Sing “Nashville Picker Picks”

Thanks to Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Video: For the Longest Time

Thanks to Naomi of North Hollywood, CA.

Don’s Puns

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C. who sent this pun.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Nani of San Juan, Philippines

Thanks to Andy of Fullerton, CA,
Does this remind you of somebody?

Thanks to Peter Paul of South Pasadena, CA

The post Drunk Identity appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Last Weekend of May

It’s been a very busy day. I’m worn out. I wish I had a spark of creativity left to send with this email but alas, this is all I have left.

I think I’ve communicated with more people on a deeper level this week than many past months. I feel like I wear a different hat for different occasions/situations and this week has left me with so many hats on the floor. No wonder I’m tired. I’m definitely looking forward to the weekend.

Keep safe and hold on to your faith. TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena for sharing this joke.

Video: Honesty at the Golf Course

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA.

Video: Irish Wedding Photographer

Thanks to John of Connecticut for this video. I might have posted it already but it’s still funny.

Video: Office Musical Chairs

Thanks to Mario of Manila who shared this video. Funny but not that funny — because it may actually happen.

Don’s Puns

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C.who loves puns. This may take a while to sink in.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA. Drinking is on the rise. Be sure to heed this warning.

Finally, here’s one from Naomi of N Hollywood, CA. If only….

The post Bad Memory appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Random Thoughts About the Year of the Rat

It’s almost midnight and I need to get this edition ready.

This weekend is Chinese New Year. I wonder what the environmentalists are gonna say with all the fireworks and the resulting air pollution. How come, I wonder, hasn’t any of them complained about the 4th of July fireworks in America or the nightly fireworks at Disneyland and Disneyworld? Why this free pass? Well, one thing they can’t complain to is nature — like volcanic eruptions happening right now in Taal volcano in the Philippines. That one volcano is doing more atmospheric damage than years of pyrotechnics. Sure, every little bit to help the environment counts but it still makes me wonder what much difference man can do when nature goes by its own rules. It’s like telling a man with stage 4 cancer to stop smoking.

So it’s the year of the rat. I did a little Chinese research about the “personality” of the rat and what we can expect in 2020. Is it just me or can the prophetic descriptions apply to any other zodiac sign? I think it’s a lot of baloney so I enjoy it when different “fortune tellers” have opposing prophecies. It goes to show there is no rhyme or reason for their claims. It’s hit or miss. As they say: even a dead clock will be accurate twice a day.

I believe there is a China Town in most major cities in the world. Imagine all the preparations in colorful paper mache, incense and gunpowder that will parade in these towns this weekend. What fun!

MY ODE TO THE CHINESE NEW YEAR
Hey, diddle, diddle
The RAT ate the fiddle
The cow jumped over the Chinese moon
A little Kung Fu, a little Confucious
Let’s celebrate with chicken, pork noodles!

Terrible poem, huh? Oh well …

TGIF people!

Raoul

Joke of the Week

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

Rodney’s Puns

Sent by Rodney of Manitoba, B.C.

AUDIO: A Lighthearted Look at Wedded Bliss

A funny audio clip about being married. About 25 minutes.

VIDEO: Mr. Lim’s Reunion Dinner

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA for sharing these 2 videos. They both got me teary eyed. The first is 6 Minutes long. The second is over 15 minutes long. They both give us a peek at life in Singapore. Happy Chinese New Year!

VIDEO: The Reunion Dinner

A simple family through the years. This is a mini-movie.

Parting Shot

Thanks to Jeff of Pasadena, CA who shot the picture while driving in Arcadia. I just put an appropriate meme.

“On my way home from church, (Baldwin & Huntington) I set up to grab a shot when the left turn arrow lit up green.

Not sure if she thinks she knows more than the rest of us, but this is one of the few boners I haven’t pulled yet. I am wondering if she didn’t pay, though.”

— Jeff

The post Celibacy appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Happy Thanksgiving

This won’t take long. I’m off to my Thanksgiving party with my sisters in Reseda. I haven’t seen 2 of them in ages.

I’m thankful for readers like you. Hey, maybe you can share this email to the rest of your family. Just a thought.

Hope you guys had a wonderful dinner.

TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Dean of Vancouver, B.C. for sharing this joke.

Creative Thanksgiving Dishes

Sent by Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Funny Video

First Thanksgiving

Sent by Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA

Watch the video here

Parting Shot

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA who shared these:

The post Leaving Him appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Sunshine

How has the week been treating you? Sunny? Cloudy?

For me, everything seems to be bright and sunny this summer week.  Work’s been busy but manageable and I still have evenings to enjoy with my wife. My kids are all good and busy doing their thing. Listening to my collection from a free online music website boosted my mood even more. My back still hurts but  getting better ever since I started stretching. My gout’s still there but has diminished considerably. It’s been really nice.

It’s days like this that make me raise my voice and thank the Lord for all His blessings. So I read a favorite happy passage written by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian church:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 4:4-7

If you’ve seen a lot of sunshine this week, I’m sure you can relate to Paul. Let’s thank God for his blessings.

If you’ve seen nothing but clouds. Did you know that Paul wrote this when he was suffering in the stinky dungeons of Rome awaiting his execution? So if you only saw clouds this week, what’s your excuse?

TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Chuck of Dallas, Texas for sending this joke.

Video of the Week

Jeff Allen: Understanding the Wife Code
Sent by Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Parting Shot

Thanks to Rodney of Manitoba, B.C. who shared this.

The post Expensive Parrot appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Still Alive and Kicking

I was talking to Lois, a friend who wrote the book “Tom the Mouse” which I illustrated. She told me her plight about losing her identity. I joked that she should write about it. She did. And here it is below. Hope you like it.

*  *  *  *

This is Your Life – or Death – or Whatever

by Lois McKinney (a subscriber of Raoul’s TGIF Joe)

Let me start by saying that reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.  In April, 2018,  I received a letter from my medical insurance that announced my demise.  I took a picture of the letter and texted it to my two daughters with the note “Is there something you girls have been meaning to tell me?”  Their responses weren’t as flippant as my remark.  One said, “Uh oh. This is not good.”  The other daughter responded “We need to fix this ASAP,” and she put her money where her mouth was, spending many hours with me as I made numerous phone calls and accompanying me on my trips to the Social Security office. A SS rep said that this situation usually happens as a result of one of their employees making an error when typing a Social Security number.  One would think that a governmental agency this size would have fail-safe measures to avoid what happened to me.  It was amazing how fast the wheels were put into motion to ruin my life.  My medical insurance was cancelled, my bank account was seized, and it took many trips to the Social Security Office before the deceased status was removed from my records.  Through it all, I tried to maintain my sense of humor.   At one point I asked my daughter to accompany me to the Social Security office so that I could offer to breathe on a mirror.  As she and I sat in the SS office waiting, I turned to her and said, “Consider this a rehearsal.”

For the past ten months, there have been no more reports of my death, so I became complacent.  BIG MISTAKE.  This morning I received a call from American Express informing me that there is a hold on my account because a credit bureau stated that there is a deceased person connected with the account.  Here we go again . . .

* * * * *

Well, I certainly hope Lois can get this straightened out.  She’s much too frail. I’m glad she can still find humor in all this. She’s an example for us all struggling with the complexities of the 21st century.

BTW, If you are in the Los Angeles area and you want your caricature done, I will be doing volunteer work for the kids at the Hope Central Project, City of Watts, Friday, 6:30 to 9pm and on Saturday at Grocery Outlet, La Habra @ 1pm to 5pm. Please pray for safety and that my back doesn’t hurt like the last time.

TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

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

Video of the Week

Have You Seen My Wife?
Sent by Mike of New York

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Parting Shot

Thanks to Naomi of West Hollywood, CA who shared this.

This notice can now be found in all French churches:

En entrant dans cette église,
il est possible que vous entendiez l’appel de Dieu.
Par contre, il n’est pas susceptible de vous contacter par téléphone.
Merci d’avoir éteint votre téléphone.
Si vous souhaitez parler à Dieu, entrez,
choisissez un endroit tranquille et parle lui.
Si vous souhaitez le voir, envoyez-lui un SMS en
conduisant.

Translation:

Sent also by Ernie of Fresno, CA

The post Saying Sorry appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Power Play

Some people have told me that I put too many put-down married jokes. Sorry about that. I agree but somehow these genre of jokes are the ones that people send me the most. The second ones are the growing-old jokes.

Makes you wonder. I guess marriage is an easy target for jokesters because they see the craziness in marriage too often. Indeed there is a constant battle for power between the spouses.

But did you know that this is actually Biblically prophesied? When Adam and Eve ate that forbidden fruit God was so disappointed: “Yo Dudes! Your ideal life here in Paradise? It’s over!” Our first parents had access to anything and everything in creation but there was ONE restriction. Guess what? That ONE restriction was exactly what they decided to do. Kinda depressing that the first model of mankind were total “losers.”

God decreed that from that point on: “you would now need to work for what used to be free … and Eve (you and the future Eves), you’re gonna have childbirth pain like you can’t even imagine! And one more thing, (implanted in your DNA) will be your “desire” for your husband.”

For the longest time I wondered if “desire” simply meant that she would be attracted to her husband or want her man to find her attractive. (When you see how women dump tons of makeup and the guys falling for it, it kinda makes sense.) But the word “desire” really means a yearning for power — a desire to dominate. That same Hebrew word is only used one other time and it can be found in the next chapter of Genesis  (where God is warning Cain who got jealous of his brother Abel’s more acceptable gift) Cain was livid with envy. God warned Cain to control himself because “sin is crouching at the door. Its desire (the same exact word) is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Alas, like parent, like son, Cain could not help himself. He murdered his own brother. In both instances, desire is that powerful intent mixed in the emotions. In other words Eve, since day one, desired to rule over Adam. Thus was born the Married Jokes.

Of course this is a general statement. There are always exceptions. But this explains the pattern of marriage dynamics. That’s why women do a lot of alluring while the men do a lot of the pursuing. Women attract. Men react. Women dangle the fruit of pleasure in the hopes of gaining power.

There are many things you can learn from the Bible. You should read it some time.

Of course this is just me. TGIF people!

“To the woman [God] said, “I will greatly increase your labor pains; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be to (ie. you will want to control) your husband, but he will dominate you.”
— Genesis 3:16

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Charlie of New Jersey for sending this joke.

Video of the Week

You Have 2 Choices
Sent by Belen of Cerritos, CA

This is a very short video but it’s funny.

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Heavy Thought of the Week

Sent by Audrey of New York

If you want to learn how to hold your breath for over 2 minutes, follow this video. Pretty cool.

Parting Shot

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA who shared this.

The post Feuding Spouses appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Two Disasters

Did you hear about this? There was an Air Show disaster at West Swick’s Island Park, Belleville, Ontario, Canada.

The aircraft hit four buildings. This is tough to see. It just shows the dangers of attending these events. I’ve attached an amazing photo below which shows great detail of the mishap.

At very low levels the pilot had completely lost control over his aircraft. It narrowly missed a crowd gathered for the air show and it slammed into four buildings.

One can only imagine the horror of the occupants inside those buildings.

If you have the stomach for it, here is the photo:

Fortunately, no one was  killed, but it probably scared the cr*p out of them.

(Thanks to Don who sent this headline and I apologize for the silly scare.)

BTW, 2 months ago there was a SINK HOLE in La Habra, California (I’m not kidding) which was just a few miles away from me. I was just thinking. Do you realize that if the incident happened this month … do you know what they would have called it?
are you ready for this? …

They would have called it: “SINK HOLE de Mayo!”
TGIF People! Happy Cinco de Mayo! Hope you had a good laugh.

“Last month was April Fool’s Day. Don’t trust anyone and believe nothing! So technically, it’s like any other day.”
— Anonymous

Joke of the Week

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

Video of the Week

If McDonald’s was Advertised Like Apple
Sent by Mike of New York

WARNING: This video will make you hungry. 🙂

Tastefully done. Shows how any product can look so good if given the right presentation. If you ever wonder why people line up for hours for the latest and greatest of anything, blame it on great advertising that builds up people’s expectations.

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Heavy Thought of the Week

Sent by Terry of Santa Monica, CA

Parting Shot

Thanks to Ray of Burbank, CA who shared this.

The post Snooping Spouse appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Post Surgery

No miracles as I had hoped. But I’m OK with that. God had better ideas for me. So I am recovering from my Hernia surgery. It lasted only an hour. The wait was a lot longer.  I have a lot of stories to share — about Doc Hollywood and my funny nurses and my loving wife who pampered me to death but  I can’t really think straight yet (as if I ever did).

I planned ahead and prepared something for you below.

TGIF people!

“Behind every scar is a great story for my TGIF email.”
— Raoul

Joke of the Week

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

Video of the Week

Stand Up Comedy with Don Adams
Sent by Peter Paul of South Pasadena, CA

The original Maxwell Smart actor from the  “Get Smart” TV series was actually a stand up comedian. He was really funny … really classy.  Hard to believe that comedy was so clean and so funny during those days.

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Heavy Thought of the Week

Sent by Naomi of North Hollywood, CA

Parting Shot

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C. who shared this.

The post Robbery appeared first on Traveling Archive.