I Love Lucid

I’m no dream expert but I watched a video (Thoughty2) that explained what lucid dreams are about. The host said that you can actually tap a high potential of your mind when you reach that sleep stage. It’s the place where a fountain of ideas come from. It’s where the outliers in your thought patterns solve problems you could not otherwise accomplish in your waking moments. I hope that what I share today will make you aware of your hidden super power.

Most of the time, we don’t know we are dreaming. But there are golden opportunities when we do know. This explains why I’ve solved programming problems, composed songs, designed logos, remembered people and places when I was half awake. Ever since I watched that video I have been consciously looking out for that “lucid moment” (where I am conscious I am in a dream) and I try and solve problems or brainstorm with myself. Of course the biggest problem is remembering what transpired when I wake up. I do try to jot down these ideas in a little notebook.

Not all dreams are serious. I had a most enjoyable dream last night. I watched some clever and humorous animations just before I went to bed and that set the stage of my dream. I don’t remember a lot but the last dream sequence showed the importance of accents in a dramatic movie. In my dream, I was approaching God’s throne MGM style. There was a glorious choir of angels in the background. The clouds parted and this blinding light flashed in front of me. Then I heard a thundering voice with a strong Italian accent:
“Bow down!  I ema yo-ra Gaaad!”

That just killed the moment. And I couldn’t stop laughing. Why an Italian accent? I don’t know. It was my lucid mind who wrote the script. Isn’t it fascinating how our brains can keep the rest of our body in suspense?

Don’t miss your opportunity. Remember, Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream and he saved humanity. Martin Luther King Jr had a dream and changed American culture. What’s your lucid dream? Instead of molehills, why not climb the mountaintop?

TGIF people!

Raoul

“Don’t put limits on yourself. Not every dream will come true, and not every dream is from God. But when your dreams connect with God’s plans, you’ll find open doors that you never thought you’d see.” – Max Lucado

“We are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus, so the good that He planned for us a long time ago may become our way of life.” — Ephesians 2:10

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Chuck of Whittier, CA for sharing this pun.

Video: Sophisticated Dancing Boy

Thanks to Mel of Washington, D.C. for this confident little fella.
He’s gonna break a lot of hearts when he grows older.

Video: VW Korea’s Flying Car

Thanks to Naomi of N Hollywood, CA for this sci-fi technology that blew my mind.
What’s really amazing is it’s already into production.
This is gonna give Tesla a run for its money.

The Latest In Personal Transportation. Can you imagine a million of these on the road? This is real. Prototypes have been delivered to several Asian countries. It’s made by VW in Korea. It will be in Europe and Asia by the end of 2022. In addition, it doesn’t use magnets….It uses ducted air jets.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Mel of Washington, DC

Thanks to Debbie of Moreno Valley, CA
Not a joke but it makes you wonder what our pets are thinking.

Another one from Debbie

Last one from Debbie

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Last one from Tom of Pasadena, CA

The post Off Color Joke appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Bazza Kat

“Bazza-kat?!?” asked the Korean hairdresser as she tried to understand my sign language.

“Buzz cut! Buzz cut!” I said in exasperation. “I want a buzz cut!”

This was the 4th occasion I tried to explain how my wife wanted my hair cut. The previous 3 attempts, I thought she understood my instruction but to my disappointment, I didn’t get what I wanted. I could have told her to continue to cut till she got it right but I hated to spoil her “masterpiece.” It wasn’t bad really. I mean, I could live with it … I kinda liked it … well, actually I didn’t like buzz cuts. I liked what Miss Kim did.

But this time I wanted to please my wife. This day I decided to put my foot down … my head was literally on the line and it was hands down the obvious choice because of my thinning hair. (What a weird set of body part metaphors).

Fortunately, there was a bi-lingual Korean guy on the chair beside me and he explained it to her. He even showed her a downloaded photo and she seemed to finally get it.

So she started to “buzz” my sides away. But when she started combing my top, I realized what was really going on. Little Miss Kim had understood me even during the very first time I asked for a buzz cut. This sneaky lady really wanted to preserve my top curls at all cost. In her mind, I looked better with bangs. So I had to say “No! Enough! What you did to my sides, you do to the top!”

Some people are so opinionated … so narrow-minded, that they refuse to listen to the other side. (Even when their opinion is about someone else’s property). No matter the facts, no matter the logic, they refuse to entertain other views. They don’t realize that the other person may be right. I should know because when I looked at my new buzz cut in the mirror, that person who liked the buzz cut was me. Be honest … is it you?

TGIF people!

Raoul

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Naomi of North Hollywood, CA  for sharing this joke.

Video: Holographic Whale

Thanks to Evie of Woodland Hills and Jeff of Pasadena, CA

Video: Virtual Holographic Technology

Thanks to Naomi of North Hollywood, CA

Parting Shots

Thanks to Mel of Washington, DC for these two gags.

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA for these last two jokes.

The post Three Thoughts appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Cinemood

Cinemood 360 is the large screen television and the movie screen you have been waiting for. This handheld device turns screen time into activity time, and even allows for a full virtual tour of national parks, galaxies and more scenes. Check out this video exploring a galaxy..

With Cinemood 360, one can feel as if they are personally immersed into spectacular nature scenes and it also provides a virtual tour of some of the universe’s most spectacular sights. It is a fabulous way to explore the world without leaving your home!

This marvelous technology also provides interactive games for younger kids that get them moving and chasing characters around the room, scaring away ghosts, or playing “The Floor is Lava” with projected hot spots — all pre-programmed into the device.

Cinemood also provides endless hours of kid-friendly content, including Disney stories, videos and instructions on how to make hand shadows. It is a winner product and it also works with streaming services like Netflix and Youtube.

Roybi

Roybi is a charming talking little robot that will interact with your little one. This new friend will talk to your child and teach them about a variety of new topics — depending on what you choose on the app. It’s an educational toy that was recognized on TIME magazine’s Best Inventions of 2019, Roybi Robot ($199, available on RoybiRobot.com, Buy Buy Baby, Bed Bath and Beyond and Amazon) is the world’s first AI-powered educational toy to teach languages and STEM skills.

Through fun lessons, games, stories and songs, this new friend of your child (suggested ages 3-7) delivers personalized content based on their pace and interests. It also uses facial recognition and emotion detection to have interactive conversations and provides social-emotional support for children.

Stomp Rocket

Now more than ever kids need to be playing outside. A great product to get them moving and getting some energy out is Stomp Rocket. These rocket launchers are easy to set up, and fly high into the sky depending on which one you have. Some fly as high as 200 feet into the sky, while others seem to do loops. They are all fun and a great activity to get moving as kids, set up, stomp and run.

Tileblox

Build, create and let your imagination run wild with the all new Inspire 20Pc Tileblox set. These magnets that let your little one build a variety of structures from castles to parking lots.

They are perfect for the beginning builder or as an add-on to another set as these triangles and squares are see through and perfect to use as windows in buildings or in any creation where you want to see through.

TileBlox is perfect for STEM education and when playtime is over, use the magnetic power to simply stack and store.

Hatvitity

What a wonderful concept, a marvelous sturdy hat that protects your little one from sun exposure or for cold days and is also interactive and fun. The Hatvitity allows kids to place a variety of patches all over their hats, and style them according to their own ways.

The patches are interchangeable making it a fun activity as children can personalize their hats. Hativity’s interactive design facilitates independence, socialization, learning, and creativity for children.

BIC Puzzles & Markers

When you hear the name BIC, you might think pens and pencils, but they also have an amazing array of markers, fun activity kits, stationery supplies and free online resources perfect for keeping the whole family occupied and those creative juices flowing!

Try coloring and creating your own unique puzzle, with a kit that comes with designing with bright gel pens, and with smooth mechanical pencils. I also adore their BIC Intensity Fineliner Marker Pen Easel Pack which has wonderful markers that are perfect for coloring with or drawing your own designs. Also, another option which is wonderful is the BIC Gel-ocity Original Retractable Gel Pen Spinner. It is organized, fun and has great colors.

Also, Bic has its own online family resource link, BIC Online Family Resources  which features free downloadable coloring pages, calendars, story prompts, cards and more.

Revell USA: Building Sets

Some of my favorite activities for kids include building. Revell USA, the granddaddy of model kit makers with a history dating back to 1945 produce fabulous sets for kids such as cars, planes and ships.

What makes these kits even more fun is that some are snap together — no paint or glue needed and include small screwdrivers and other tools needed to create the final product.

These kits are a great way for kids to gain first experiences in model making and train their fine motor skills. The creative activity also strengthens the self-confidence of the little hobbyists. The colorful cars are easy to put together and can be taken apart if necessary. They are robust and can withstand one or the other collision.

Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad

A fun way to recreate modern marvels such as the Eiffel Tower or draw your favorite cartoon character is with the Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad. It features 1 graphite pencil, 12 short colored pencils, 10 tracing sheets, 10 blank sheets, and the Tracing pad.

Crayola also offers free coloring pages, some including your children’s favorite characters.

And as parents look for more ways to keep their children occupied, enriched and learning Crayola has a library of resources available from crafting to education. Definitely worth taking a look at — am sure you might find some fun and colorful ideas.

Please join my mailing list for the latest greatest toys and activities for kids as well as special treats for parents. Stay Cool and Stay Safe.

Masada Siegel is an International correspondent who writes fun, positive, and adventurous types of stories – many of which appear on Traveling Boy.

The post Creative Activities for Your Kids appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Virus Talk

The big global topic today is the Coronavirus. With so many talking heads, I think you probably don’t need to read a long assessment of this. So I will be brief.

I think this is a reminder that despite the advancement of technology and mankind’s desire for independence from God, at the end of the day, epidemics like this force us to acknowledge that God will always have the last say.

If you are interested, Don of Kelowna, shared an article by John Stonestreet and David Carlson. CLICK HERE. There’s a tinge of politics here so skip this if you are easily offended.

I’m confident that scientists will eventually come up with a proper vaccine for the Coronavirus. But for the moment, the reality of technology’s limitation is hard to ignore.

But this is just me. TGIF people!

Raoul

Joke of the Week

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

Don’s Puns

Sent by Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Video: Corona to the Extreme

Warning: this may seem insensitive to some.

Thanks to Maling of Caloocan City, Philippines for sharing this short dark humored video. You may disagree with me, but I just had enough of the gloom and doom and this video broke the seriousness of the situation.

Parting Shot

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

The post Hot Dogs appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Grown Up Christian Wish

A good friend called me yesterday and told me he was in dire financial straits. Another one called and he too was facing dwindling resources. They have been in my thoughts and prayers ever since.

We are in the season of discounts and holiday sales. People are marching out of the malls with their conquests on their shopping carts. But I’m sure there are many others like my friends who can only watch and wish. The lavish parade of happy shoppers only compounds their misery.

I think of the thousands of Californians who have lost their homes in the recent forest fires. They’re in a different level of desperation. What will Christmas be like for them?

Moving a scale upwards, I also talked to a fellow entrepreneur who owns 5 convenience store franchises. He said people think he’s rich but he just gets by. In fact, he isn’t making any money in one of his branches. Yet one of his employees sued him for the flimsiest of reasons thanks to the encouragement of an opportunistic lawyer. The employee was desperate for cash and thought he was entitled to the owner’s “wealth.” Who do you weep for?

There will always be rich and there will always be poor. Those who are UP will find comfort looking at those who are DOWN … that is, until they look UP and realize they are actually DOWN. But when they see how unhappy those who are UP really are, then they are content to be where they are. It’s just human nature to compare. So where is truth? For sure, it isn’t in emotions that swing its pendulum positively and negatively depending on the time of day. There is a reality … and it’s God’s reality. And His reality is this: We are precious in His sight. Even in times of struggles (for they will surely come) He is there.

Sure, “God is good and He is aware of our situation” but lofty declarations like that seem to get lost when the reality of debt stares us in the face. I admit the line where Faith begins isn’t obvious. But what is obvious is it’s “Soul-Searching” Time. Finances are important but they are still material … they are temporary. What happens to the soul is eternal. Perhaps God uses these predicaments to draw our focus back to Him — “seek ye first the kingdom of God and ALL these things will be added unto you.” Just because this is hard to grasp doesn’t mean it isn’t true. (And I need to remind myself of this all the time.)

We can learn from the apostle Paul’s letter. He was writing in the midst of his own suffering in prison and he had the “audacity” to comfort the Philippian church with these words:

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through HIM who gives me strength.”  — Philippians 4:11

If you can, please throw a bone … or even throw a whole turkey …  to someone in need. It will be a slight inconvenience to you; but to them, it will mean the world. And when we are faced with an impossible situation, it’s time to call on Him — the solution to the impossibilities of life.

But this is just me.

TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

Communication Problem

Shared by Tom of Pasadena, CA

To be honest, when I was a kid and saw that title in the Bible, I didn’t understand what “Flight” meant. I also thought it had something to do with an airplane. — Raoul

Videos of the Week

Italian Grandma Meets “Hey Google”
Sent by Mike of New York

Cute video of a senior trying to make friends with technology.

WATCH VIDEO

Lauren Daigle Sings Noel
Sent by Charlie of New Jersey

I never heard of her but was blown away by her voice. Actually, Charlie sent me another video of her singing “Winter Wonderland” but I couldn’t find the URL so this will have to do. I discovered she has a Christmas album — sounds like a good one.

WATCH VIDEO

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Good Thoughts

Sent by Rodney of Manitoba, B.C.

Parting Shot

Thanks to Tom who shared this photo

Hey, do me a favor. Get your copy of the brand new Traveling Boy Joke Book. It’s pocket size and is perfect for a stocking stuffer. It’s about $10 only, unique and … ideal for your office mate or business friend.

The post Drawing the Flight to Egypt appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Email Blackmail:

A Public Service Article to Defend Against the Cyber Criminal Minds

TGIF people!

“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity”
— attributed to Albert Einstein in my email but “Sam” pointed out that it probably came from the movie “Powder” … see comments below

Joke of the Week

Witty Sayings By Phyllis Diller

Shared by Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Videos of the Week

Carbonaro Effect: Survival Backpack
Sent by Tom of Pasadena, CA

This is the ultimate backpack. It’s like the Swiss Army Knife of survival backpacks and the customer is totally amazed!

WATCH VIDEO

Creepy Google
Sent by Art of Sierra Madre, CA

I include this video because I want you to be aware of the present tech power. Just to be clear, this video comes from a conservative media but regardless of your political persuasion, I think it is accurate, complex and interesting. It discusses just how far Google has dominated the tech world and our private data. Kinda sad and bothersome. This is the reason I hardly use Social Media. You should avoid it too.

Don’t be too depressed. Here’s a related discussion that assures us that these tech giants will be overtaken by a new technology in the near future. CLICK HERE.

WATCH VIDEO

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Parting Shot

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

The post Phyllis Dillerisms Part 1 appeared first on Traveling Archive.

I don’t know if this is still being practiced today but Catholic priests are supposed to shave off a coin-sized area at the top of their heads. They do that as a sign of humility. Jewish men are supposed to were a kipa (?) for about the same reason. Hindus wear a turban. Arabs wear their veil. Most cultures have some instructions for men to cover their head but I think I know the real reason. The notion of covering heads is a conspiracy created by the balding elderly men. Can any of you relate to this?

Remember Alfalfa of the vintage TV show “Our Gang” who had the standing hair shaped like a pencil? That was me when I was a kid . I had a pesky cluster of hair at the back that always stood up. It was as if this “Hair Gang” was waving at people saying “hey! look at us! We’re way back here!”

Whenever my grandma would comb my hair, she would put an extra dab of pomade at the back to keep those guys behaved. Fast forward to the present and that spot where those rebels stood is now empty. It’s a ghost town. Nothing there but shiny skin. Yes my friends, I’m getting bald.

I wish I had paid attention to the hairy gang more. But how could I? They were all the way at the back. I never cared about them. I didn’t even know they were going away. I didn’t know I hurt their feelings. They left without  even saying goodbye.

My wife didn’t want me to be like some old men covering their bald spot with over-reaching hair from the neighboring “vicinity.” She said I should just do a buzz cut. So we marched down to the beauty shop and she said “cut them! … cut them all!”

My wife has good fashion sense so I let her have her way with my hair. I think I shed enough hair to fill up a pillow. .

I sat in resignation at the reality of being “follicle challenged.” I was surprised I even cared about how I looked. I never do. No more will my locks toss in the wind. No more will I part my hair. No more will I twirl it around with my fingers. This is yet another step to the ladder of Senior Living.

I was uncomfortable going to my business meeting with my stub of hair. I thought I would be the easy joke target in the room. But to my surprise no one said anything. Only one person noticed and gave me a compliment. I guess the bald life isn’t that bad after all. Anyway, hair or no hair … I’m still the same person. I still can function as before. I still have my self worth because this doesn’t change how God loves me.

To my fellow baldies out there, do you have any suggestions? Was it hard for you? You women, what do you think of bald men?

“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
— Luke:12:7

TGIF people!

My Wife Got Stung by a Bee

Contributed by Scott of Deerfield, New Hampshire

TGIF Videos

Grown man’s first injection
Sent by Tony of Southern CA

Didn’t your Mama tell you that big boys don’t cry? Pretty pathetic.

Watch Video

Hyper Realistic Sculpture
Sent by Art of Sierra Madre, CA

I never heard of this technology. I want to try this soon. Incredible. Eerie.

Watch Video

Parting Shot

Thanks to Scott of Deerfield, New Hampshire who shared this photo

Coming to an Olympic event near you:

The post Wife Got Stung By a Bee appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Did you get the memo? The world was supposed to end last January 13, a Saturday! There are rumors that the false alarm about a North Korean Nuclear attack headed for Hawaii was real … so was the false alarm headed towards Japan three days after. Silly you say, but rumors also contend that the increased military activities going on in South East Asia are in direct response to that. We were fortunate that the US counter offensive was able to thwart the attack. In other words, “the good guys” prevented a nuclear war.

Think about it. It’s like barely missing a car accident. You swerve and prevent a life changing episode; then 5 seconds later, you forget your blessings.

What were you doing that day? That Saturday I was holding 2 meetings in La Habra with my partner John and looking forward to visiting my son in New York in a few days. Imagine, on that day all our wealth, all our debts, all our obligations, all our hopes and dreams — should have been erased instantly in a nuclear cloud (at least for those near Hawaii and Japan).

Would you have been prepared to go in a violent flash? A more important question: where would you have gone? Let’s go down the line of popular beliefs.

Atheists would say their existence would have ended right there. No spiritual mumbo jumbo to elevate to. Ta dah! The End!

Reincarnationists (?) would wake up as a dog, a flea of the dog or a bacteria of the flea (depending on how good they were). Sadly, when they wake up as the next creature the nuclear dust would kill them again and they would cycle down to something even more insignificant. (At least that seems to be the logical progression).

The God-fearing people? Well, depending on their belief they’d wake up in a place of comfort or a place of suffering.
None of those choices seem very inviting, do they? Everything you’ve ever done on this earth would crescendo to this moment in time … the moment of truth. It should be your most important moment because it’s the end of your journey in this present life. What are you doing about it? Are you in car crash memory lapse mode?

Wouldn’t it be nice to know how to wind up in that “comfortable place?” (Wanna call or email me to discuss? I’d love to hear your take on this). My intent is to let you think because we are all living on borrowed time (literally speaking). God, in His infinite wisdom, has given us extra time to prepare and discuss that moment, with people we love and trust, the evidence that would demand a verdict. The truth is out there. I believe in a loving God and I believe He provided that answer. We just need to look for it.

Even if the rumors aren’t true. Why dilly dally? Remember: at this very moment, forces are gearing up for battle in South East Asia. Who knows? Our borrowed time may soon return to its maker.

“Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you”
— Luke 11:9

TGIF people!

Unique

Contributed by Tom of Pasadena, CA

Tech Support for Marriage

Contributed by Mike of New York

The young woman who submitted the tech support message below (about her relationship with her husband) presumably did it as a joke.

Then she got a reply that was way too good to keep to herself. The tech support people’s love advice was hilarious and genius!

THE QUERY

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slowdown in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications and intimacy, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as: NBA 5.0, NFL 3.0 and Golf 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and House Cleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?

Signed,

Desperate

The response (that came weeks later out of the blue):

Dear Desperate,

First keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: I thought you loved me.html and try to download Tears 6.2.

Do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0, or Beer 6.1.

Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta version.

Whatever you do, DO NOT, under any circumstances, install Mother-In-Law 1.0 as it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.

In addition, please do not attempt to re-install the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly.

You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance.

We recommend Cooking 3.0.

3 Original Low-Tech Memory Tricks

Contributed by John of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

When something EXTRA special comes up, one has 3 choices on how to remember it.

1) Tie a knot in your hanky and blow your nose frequently on the day of the “Event.” Only untie knot AFTER the event.

2) Wear a funny suit so that folks ask you “Why are you wearing THAT?” so you can reply “I need to remind myself of something IMPORTANT TODAY.”

3) Carry a VERY heavy weight in your pocket with a note that says “Event: 4pm” (or whatever). As it’s so heavy you’ll want to take frequently take it out. You always see why it’s there.

Note: These are actual spur of the moment ideas my good British friend, John, came up with. This is perfect for technically challenged seniors. It should work nicely. Thanks John!

TGIF Videos

Man With Many Accents
Sent by Art of Sierra Madre, CA

This guy can talk with flawless different accents. Pretty entertaining.

WATCH

The Magician and The Spoiler
Sent by Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA

Pretty cool Chinese magician … except that his friend’s there to ruin everything.

WATCH

Parting Shot

Thanks to Jackie of Whittier, CA who shared this photo

The post You Are Unique appeared first on Traveling Archive.