Sleep has been in itself somewhat of a mystery. It’s been researched and philosophically debated about endlessly. Why, even the lack of sleep has fueled major industries from knockout pills to adjustable beds, from a myriad of special mattresses and comfy pillows to drowsy-induced music melodies.

Moreover is the latest: sleep can be a substitute for coffee. A study by Sara C. Mednick, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, surprised many by demonstrating that a brief nap made workers more alert than a cup of coffee.

Notwithstanding, Blog4Brains.com will not wade thru the research mud of sleep philosophy, the nature and need for sleep, the effects from lack of sleep, or anything else along these lines from A to Zzzzzz. What else is there? Melatonin-induced sleep, perhaps.

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One of the items I use everyday, sometimes, twice, thrice that I make myself is my own mouthwash. I make my mouthwash up with equal portions of water and that of Hydrogen Peroxide (3% Topical Solution). The cost? Not dollars, but pennies. You do save.

HOWEVER, rather than provide you with formulas to make products so as to save money and stretch that dollar — we will do that — please forget the now, and let’s return to then. Blog4Brains.com will, in the interest of nostalgia, provide you these easy-to-prepare concoctions that may no longer be needed, nor are they similar to any store-bought products that reside on today’s retail shelves. Some products you can make may still be useful, but maybe only for you. They are selected in the quest for some laughter and for some serious application for our Blog4Brains.com readers.

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Larry, the Ph.D.’er

I won’t give Larry’s real last name, fearing an underhanded attack more than a law suit, so let’s say I call him Larry the Idiot, very soon to be known as Larry the Idiot, Ph.D., or Dr. Larry the Idiot. He was working hard, but maybe not hard enough, to fulfill the stringent requirements needed to be awarded his Ph.D. His field was experimental psychology.

Here’s how I met Mr. idiot. I was sitting in the wait-your-turn area of the Emergency Room at General Hospital because my primary care doctor wasn’t around. Dr. Tran was at some medical convention, and I don’t care for his partner. I was told by the doctors’ receptionist, “If that’s what’s happened, please hold.” I held a good while. She comes back on the line. “I looked up your file. You need a tetanus shot and you need one right now.”

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American flag photo by jcolman

When my mother, Victoria, felt things, namely America, turn against her, she would sign and with her perfect accent say, “America is beautiful!”

I often wondered what she said the day after President Truman dropped the first atomic bomb, and then the next day after dropping the second. What did Mom say? I don’t know, although now I wish I did. While I grew up, I never questioned her about things like that.

Adolph went back to his village in Poland and brought Victoria home to the U.S. My mother died from a stroke. Years later, 1968 or thereabouts, Pop went back to visit Poland. My brothers and I wondered if he went back for another wife. He did ask Richie to airmail him his divorce papers to where he was staying in Poland. Much later we found out thru Uncle Alex that he almost married again, but lost the woman because of his false teeth. He lost his false teeth while visiting her and his “loved one” found them in the bread box in their kitchen. So the knot wasn’t tied that tight.

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Do you find yourself struggling to pay rent? Have you lost your job to India? Well, Blog4Brains.com will prepare you for the worst to come. We’ve got your back!

Guidelines

1) Dress as best as you can, be clean, look decent, be courteous, all so you’ll convey that you’re not on drugs — no one wants to be an enabler.

2) Try to be the first among any competition in asking strangers to buy you coffee or breakfast (“I was here first! I haven’t eaten for two days.”)

3) Don’t you ever feel ashamed, embarrassed, whatever, because you’re out on the sidewalk panhandling. It’s not your fault; it’s all Wallstreet’s fault.

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BOOK REVIEW: MERE ANARCHY by Woody Allen

Check with your doctor if you have a heart condition before you read this book. If you don’t burst an artery, you’re sure to bust a gut while you laugh your head off. This is the first collection of humor pieces by Woody Allen in 25 years. Timeless. A riot. The one piece called “The Rejection” made me fall off my chair. (That has only happened once before this while I read something humorous “The way the Cookie Crumbles’ which I wrote myself.)

“The Rejection” is about education and social status, gained and lost, when Boris Ivanoviich had problems trying to enroll his three year-old son in the ”very best nursery school in Manhattan.” Make a note to read this one. It is a must read. If you don’t buy a copy of the book, go borrow a copy of MERE ANARCHY from your public library. Read “The Rejection” segment, please.

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