Thoughts For Thursday...

Looks like ANOTHER day of cold, but relief is in sight (and that doesn't just mean waiting until APRIL...lol).
Our Hoosierland weather for today brings us partly sunny skies, windy conditions (which don;t help warming things up) and a high of about 29 degrees.
We're getting closer to above freezing, aren't we?
So, fire up the microwave and get yourselves that nice hot cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa, as we see what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First out of the freezer is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom."
This was spoken by none other than Isaac Asimov (January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) who was an American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University.
He was known for his works of science fiction and popular science.
And here is his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov

I had the extremely rare pleasure of meeting him at a SCI-FI con WAY back in the early 70s (NYC), and he signed a copy of his (then) newest book The Gods Themselves. He was wearing a button that said "Nixon is a Klingon Spy"...lol.
((Asimov was a prolific writer, and wrote or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. His books have been published in 9 of the 10 major categories of the Dewey Decimal Classification.))
That's a pretty decent accomplishment.
(( Asimov's most famous work is the Foundation Series; his other major series are the Galactic Empire series and the Robot series)) Again, these are some pretty well-known tomes in the science fiction world.

By reading the WIKI, you find out he wrote a LOT...and on MANY subjects.
it's a very good read about one of the "Big Three" major science fictions writers of our time.
Moving on..
*** Next, time for our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
.JANUARY 18 -
---It's Get to Know Your Customers' Day

(sorry, doesn't apply to me)
---It's National Peking Duck Day

(shouldn't this be taking place in CHINA?)
---It's National Thesaurus Day

(great companion to any dictionary)
---It's National Winnie the Pooh Day

(where's the honey?)
*** Next up, I honestly get a laugh out of morons, except when they cross my path.
(then, I get pissed)

But THESE mooks are the stuff of buffoonery. Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/indiana/20180118/panel-puts-cold-beer-sales-on-ice

Got Fridge?

So, we're the ONLY state in the Union that does NOT have Sunday COLD beer sales.
BIG FAT HAIRY (effin) DEAL!
Maybe we're the ONLY state in the Union that STILL exhibits a modicum of morality, too...'ya think?
Wifey said she'd hand out pictures of refrigerators to those who want cold Sunday sales...lol.
I admire her spunk there. And she's right.
People have come to expect instant gratification and you know what?
(like the song says) You can't always get what you WANT.
How MUCH of an inconvenience is it to get room temperature beer anyway?
(obviously for some...it's a life-threatening event)

Just buy the damn (non-chilled) beer, take it the hell home, chill it down  in the fridge (or outside) and shut the hell up about it, kapeesh?
You idiots got to start learning that life is meant for mature people wearing GROWN-UP pants, so get with the program.
*** Next, I came across this article where our technology is actually being a BENEFIT (for a change) and not just another pain in our asses. Here's the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/20180118/scanner-able-to-detect-drugs-hidden-in-mail-sent-to-inmates

Imagine that...a SCANNER that can detect drugs (and not place correction officers at risk from exposure to drugs such as fentanyl...that's a godsend.
But then again, you have to ask why people would be stupid enough to even try to send drugs INTO a prison, right?
And that begs a much bigger question when it comes to the entire opioid abuse deal...((WARNING: SEGUE ALERT!))
WHAT CAUSES PAIN?
Well, you can always read the WIKI, found HERE:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain
It's a long read, so make time for it, if you so wish.
But, if you want the short version...pain is caused by NERVES, as in nerve fibers that become overstimulated. This aspect can be found again and again within the WIKI, and any decent doctor would tell you the same.
(See? Working at a medical book publisher for a decade DOES have it's advantages)
So, how do we usually address this?
We OVERMEDICATE.
This only alleviates the symptoms and not the actual CAUSE.
What is needed is a cessation of the over-stimulation of the nerves WITHOUT sending the body to la-la land and creating another "doper" along the way.

And, you would have to target the SPECIFIC nerves involved, and not those that control the senses. You still need to walk, and see, and hear, and...well, you get the idea.
Naturally, this pretty much applies to the physical realm of the human body.
*** Next up, let's put the medical stuff aside for a bit and instead visit "Kitten Corner"...

The kids were doing pretty good yesterday, and hardly got crazy at all.
It's nice to see them settle down and just be normal cats, rather than flying about the house, leaping all over, and hoping nothing gets knocked over or broken.

I think they're training me to join them when they nap.
That's something I can easily accommodate.
*** Next, let's check in with "Midnight and Company"...

Our furry twosome were again on time for all their meals, and getting another dose of "hot food" in the morning and late afternoon was enjoyed by both of them.
We did have another "visitor"...a gray tabby cat (young) who was under the patio table, but took off as soon as I tried to give it some dry food.

Your loss, bub, but it makes me wonder where this cat came from, and if he/she is lost?
It's not a community cat (no clipped ear), so someone might be missing a feline...or there's some "breeding" going on in the area.

Hey, SOMEONE'S gotta guard the walkway.

Our twosome didn't seem bothered by this interloper, and just kept to themselves on the patio.
*** Last back to the Tundra...all human beings will have to deal with pain sooner or later.

And not all of it will be of the physical variety.
There is also the emotional pain...the psychological part of humanity that comes with extremely intense feelings of loss or suffering. Depression and bi-polar reactions follow some people all through their lives.
I know about the depression gig...and there is no REAL cure.
It's something you learn to live with, and work through without the aid of substances that can actually HARM you.
As with physical pain, we often come to taking doses of prescribed medications to minimize the effects of that pain, and this is also true with psychological pain. The docs just provide other forms of drugs (and their varied side-effects, which can be worse yet).
People take to such things because it's the EASY way to deal with their problem.
And perhaps, in today's world, all that EASY isn't really a good thing.

Maybe what's needed is for people to LEARN and WORK more to  keep such "painful" things in our lives at bay, rather than dive into a medicine (or liquor) bottle for relief, that is always short-lived and fleeting.
Maybe still, it is better to seek a higher power.
Those people won't know until they try...

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.