Leveraged Intelligence

Making Pumpkin Pie!

I am part of a mailing list the bikehikebabe delivers some of the funniest images to that you’ve ever seen.  And, this one in a collection of Thanksgiving cartoons and pictures I thought was the funniest of a funny bunch!  If I knew who put this together, I would give them credit in a heartbeat, because this shows a wit and creativity that should be recognized.

But, alas, I have no idea who made the picture.  If they step up, I will post their name here – but, in the meantime, I just have to say, “Thanks, bhb, you made my day!!!”

Suffering isn’t ennobling; recovery is.

            — Christian Barnard

Hey, everybody, the kid’s coming back!

Bravo, bikehikebabe!  We salute your spirit.

bikehikebabe Is Getting a New Wheel

I don’t know whether it is today or a week from today, but bikehikebabe, treasured member of our family, is getting a new hip!  That’s big stuff for someone as active as our intrepid adventurer.

So, why don’t all of you other family members leave her some encouraging messages as she heals and heads to new adventures.

Here’s to good healing, bhb!!!

bikehikebabe In India!

I know, Ramana is saying, “Of course, some of us live there!”  But, what I’d like to see this particular post turn into is a combined commentary shared between both of them.

If either of you have pictures you would like to add, please email them to me and I will incorporate that also.  For now, listen to what the one and only bikehikebabe has to say:

We stayed in 5 star hotels that were spectacular, with huge shining inlay marble floors, large bouquets of flowers, heavy huge glass doors with doormen opening them for you. Large expanses of lawns, gardens, pools, fountains. The air conditioning was cold.

Then we went outside. Stinking filth, hot, unbelievable poverty, & nowhere do you see so many people. However all the women wear beautiful sarees. Gorgeous cloth wound from toes, around body, over shoulder & then head. A thousand of those, no two the same. Every woman stood straight as a pole. Otherwise the saree would fall off because no Velcro or pins were used to hold them together.

The new national highway was only one lane. So bumpy you couldn’t stay on your seat.There are no traffic rules. Coming at you are other buses- you have to leave the road to pass. But mostly in front of the bus are camels, cows & wild dogs galore, tons of pedestrians & bicycles. All of these weave around each other; nobody gets hurt because they are all skilled at this.

Remember we laughed at the pictures of a truck being needed, but it’s all on a bicycle. Or a whole family on a bicycle or small old motorcycle? That’s everywhere.

I like the cobras coming up from small baskets while the Indians played on homemade gourd thingys, the camel ride, the cremation of dead people in fire, boat ride with large amount of lights, crazy rituals, throngs of people swimming, city long blocks of steps going down to the water.

I saw a tiger in the woods. There’s lots of decorated elephants.

Beggers, & pesty vendors at every stop. NO means yes to them. You look straight ahead like they don’t exist. Eventually they leave.

Lots of temples & palaces. What I didn’t like so much was the endless blah, blah of our Indian tour guide while standing in the hot sun.

Being me I avoided that unless it was on the bus. He was riveting though, eye contact with each person. Very personable, sometimes funny. I liked him.

Added note for now: it is a delight to have you back, bikehikebabe – and, quite mysteriously, Gail…

The Mystery of Gail and bikehikebabe

We have had a developing mystery involving steadfast readers of this blog.  These are two readers who comment with great consistency – and that makes it VERY noticeable when no comments come in for awhile.  “One” of these readers goes by the name bikehikebabe.  “The Other” goes by the name Gail.

bikehikebabe let our friend Ramana know – and, in fact, all of us – that she was taking a trip to India.  Gail, on the other hand, simultaneously quit commenting on this blog’s entries at the same time that bikehikebabe took off on her trip.

These are matters requiring some detective work – and, when I was a boy, one of the leading detectives on TV was Sgt. Joe Friday on Dragnet.  Remember, in the spirit of the steadfast sergeant, we want only the facts.  I replay for you a series of comments which are a matter of public record:

Gail: 3/18/09 1:47PM My phone # was 36-24-37. I’m sorry, I’m a little mixed up. That was not my phone #– that was my measurments. My bad!!!!!!!

Magicians use the trick of misdirection.  As you view one thing, they manipulate another.  It is quite common for a woman to use her measurements, her figure, for this type of misdirection.

Conrad: 3/18/09 3:21PM Gail, you can go to hell for lying about your measurements, just like everything else!

This was simply a statement of a well known theological principle.  For certain actions, there are potential consequences.  Note the word “can” indicating a possibility, not a certainty.

Gail: 3/19/09 6:14AM I measured myself this morning and these are the true numbers—-37-32-34.

Apparently, the manipulation continues.  This time, the effort is to draw attention to minor discrepancies, requiring focus and concentration…where it does not belong.

Gail: 3/21/09 6:19AM I’m the “girlfriend”! Of somesome!  Conrad just doesn’t know it yet!  Who else could he tell—-”go to hell”?

As stated before, Gail was never told what to do, merely pointed to a potential outcome.  But, more importantly, the boyfriend’s name slips out!  Somesome Gupta is the most common name in India.  This will become important later.

Conrad: 3/27/09 5:36PM Has anyone else noticed that not only is bikehikebabe gone – she is traveling – but we aren’t getting any comments from Gail? That can only mean one thing. bikehikebabe and Gail are the same person!  Now, I figure that one of them is the secret identity of the other.

I am starting to become suspicious.  This is because the misdirection has not worked.  Years of watching Joe Friday, my role model, has guaranteed this.

Maynard: 3/28/09 10:19AM I believe that Gail is probably still in “Hades”, where you told her to go. She will, “hopefully ” surface soon.

Obviously, I have gotten too close to the truth.  Gail has brought in one of the most notorious mob hit men on the scene today.

Gail on Ramana’s Blog: 3/29/09 9:49PM India time – which is 9:19AM PDT Mr. R.– I just returned from the depths of “hell”. Let me tell you it’s not a pleasant place.(don’t tell Conrad that I have returned)

Ah, she thinks that she can bring Ramana into this ploy.  She and bikehikebabe are indeed in India at the same time.  She does not know that I have the surveillance equipment capable of reaching across the ocean.

Maynard: 3/29/09 9:59 AM Don’t you ‘love’ the weekends free without Conrad! Someone should tell Gail that Conrad is gone. She may feel free to come back from that “bad” place that Conrad sent her.

It is clear that Maynard feels he has succeeded.  I have seen through the subterfuge, however.

In addition, I’ve done research on Heaven and Hell themselves to see if that offered any clues.  Here is what I found:

Heaven is Where:
The Police are British,
The Chefs are Italian,
The Mechanics are German,
The Lovers are French
     and 
It’s all organized by the Swiss.

 
Hell is Where:
The Police are German,
The Chefs are British,
The Mechanics are French,
The Lovers are Swiss
     and
It’s all organized by the Italians.

From this, it seems unlikely that Gail would be able to return from the depths of hell.  It seems impossible for anyone.  Therefore, I conclude that his was another example of misdirection.

OK, readers, what is your conclusion?  What do you think is going on here?  I have presented you with the facts.  Nothing but the facts…