The Triples Game

I was listening to the radio one day, having tuned in a little late to hear the beginning of the game that the two radio announcers were playing. I don't know what they called it, but I call it the Triples Game.

The idea of this word game is to link two words by inserting a third word in the middle, with many exceptions to this rule. The middle word completes the first idea and then begins the second idea such as in stomping ground beef. It is also permissible to have the middle word be part of the third, as in pig penitentiary or extra words if they are needed to complete the Triple, such as Friday the 13th Warrior. Here are some other examples: dot compost; cake walkathon; bluejay walker; Equadorian Grey; I think, therefore, iambic pentameter; or how about Rain Bozeman Montana. It's also possible that there are three words that make one thought as in the case of wrought in gold. Foreign words are only allowed if all parties playing the game are likely to know the language.

I think the idea behind this game is to have a little fun with language. Sometimes the combinations are humorous, but there are people who are offended by it. Granted, stomping ground beef might be a little rough for children of a tender age or a vegetarian eater, but there is where discretion could come in. There are, unfortunately, people who have compulsions to punish by taking things with no form or substance and trying to make them a reality.

The Triples Game can be played while killing time traveling by one or more people, just like children picking a color of car, counting those of the chosen color, and at the end of some designated time period, the child with the most cars of their color wins. Where is the challenge in that? It's a game your mother suckers you into so you will get out of her hair for a while and stop asking her if you're "there yet". I also happen to know some children will lose track during the game and feel defeated or, hard to believe, just make up a large number so that they win the game. Count the car colors is not authentic.

"He used all his charm like fine horses". I read that line somewhere the other day and saw a real life example not too long ago. However, charm can be deceptive and so can horses.

According to some scientists, the first horse, Sifrhippus sandrae, was the size of a house cat. One theory is that when the earth heats up, mammals become smaller, and when it cools off, mammals grow larger. There is food for thought in this if you're thinking about global warming.

Horses and house cats can be persnickity. Cats will only let some people pet them some of the time and horses may let you if you come bearing gifts such as carrots, apples, a pan of oats and/or sugar cubes.

If you know anything about horses, you know that they are smart, as in the phrase horse sense. They often want to get you you off their back and have many ways to get that accomplished. Bucking a rider off is a horse's method of saying you have got on their last nerve. In a way, there is a metaphor about life in that when watching a rodeo cowboy hang on tenaciously for as long as he can.

I suppose it could be a metaphor for all of us. The ride comes to an abrupt conclusion when a horse successfully bucks you off. In the case of sifrhippus sandrae, though, when a thing happens so gradually you hardly notice, eons may slip by.

Just because a horse bucks you off, that does not mean you can't get right back on.

Xylosspongium is the Greek word for a sponge on a stick This all gets messy and complicated, but you'll understand.

I was watching a documentary about the origins of the Germanic tribes. A fictional character in the story is in a predicament with two bad choices. Either he gets captured by another Germanic tribe and is sold as a slave or he tries to escape by crossing into Roman territory and risks getting captured and sold as a slave. He is caught by the Romans as he tries to sneak over the border and is forced to begin training, instead, as a gladiator. During the drama, it is explained that had this German gladiator been forced to fight with his Germanic tribesmen, the last living German gladiator would have committed suicide by swallowing a sponge.

Why had I never read about this before? Suddenly, the blog you are now reading began to unfurl in my mind. Gladiators and Christ and a fight to the death. Insults, ignominy, disgust.

Xylosspongium is the Greek word for a sponge on a stick, the then equivalent of a toilet brush. It is documented as a latrine cleaner just as is its use as a means of suicide:

"In the middle of the first century Seneca reported that a Germanic gladiator commits suicide with a sponge on a stick. The Germanic hides himself in the latrine of an amphitheater and pushed the wooden stick in his gullet" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylospongium). Another source says that this was suicide by suffocation.

 The Roman guards offered the nearly-dead hung-up Jesus a sponge soaked with vinegar.  John 19:29 reads "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit" (http://biblehub.com/john/19-29.htm).

History has it that vinegar and water were the common drink of Roman soldier as well as a drink for gladiators. "A little draught of a sleeping drug in the cup of posca, the watered vinegar that each gladiator would rinse his mouth with before entering the arena, would insure that in a few minutes the man's reaction time would slow down" (https://www.wordnik.com/words/posca).

The Roman guards weren't having a momentary twinge of conscience by offering to let Jesus slake his thirst. In my opinion, they were offering him the bad end of the stick and maybe insulting him about suicide. I am not unique in this opinion:

"When I learned after contacting this site that vinegar soaked sponges were used by Romans to clean their asses, suddenly the memory of that little detail popped into my head...And of course, I have never heard anyone report that this shit-stained sponge may have been the final insult of the crucifixion, not even in Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ" (http://www.poopreport.com/Intellectual/jesuss_last_days.html).

I never found the Bible easy to read, mainly because it never seemed to clearly explain a lot of what it recorded. This detail about Jesus pleading for a drink, and then being given vinegar from a sponge instead of water, is a good example of how vague the Bible can be. I have never heard anyone ever explain why the Roman soldier gave Jesus vinegar. And of course, I have never heard anyone report that this shit-stained sponge may have been the final insult of the crucifixion, not even in Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ. - See more at: http://www.poopreport.com/Intellectual/jesuss_last_days.html#sthash.BX6SykFE.dpuf

I never found the Bible easy to read, mainly because it never seemed to clearly explain a lot of what it recorded. This detail about Jesus pleading for a drink, and then being given vinegar from a sponge instead of water, is a good example of how vague the Bible can be. I have never heard anyone ever explain why the Roman soldier gave Jesus vinegar. And of course, I have never heard anyone report that this shit-stained sponge may have been the final insult of the crucifixion, not even in Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ. - See more at: http://www.poopreport.com/Intellectual/jesuss_last_days.html#sthash.BX6SykFE.dpuf

Ghosts are to light what echoes are to sound. The standard description of a ghost is that it is white, transparent, and often looks like a real being that once lived, although some experience ghosts as if they were real and alive in the here and now. If someone sees a ghost, the place where it is seen is said to be haunted. You already know that.

People who report seeing ghosts are considered suspect, but some historic  people believe that they have seen ghosts. Among them were Biblical figures such as King Saul and Jesus' apostles and, more lately, Abraham Lincoln. Many people have reported seeing Lincoln's ghost in the White House.

If it is true that a ghost is to light as an echo is to sound, from where does the light reflect or bounce to produce the image of a ghost? If you are willing to accept this as a premise, how far into space can light go and still return to earth as an "echo"?

If you are wondering about how this could possibly be true, consider ground penetrating radar, which shoots a beam of light from a height, which beam of light returns to its source so that it gives a picture of all the activity and disruption caused by both man and nature. These are geologic ghosts, images of what was once real and visible.

Both laser and ground penetrating radar equipment can examine the ground and tell what type of usage and travel the land has experienced very far back in history. The equipment that does this translates its findings so that historians and archeologists can tell that, for instance, a wagon train once crossed the land, even though there is no such discernible evidence to be seen by the human eye.

Energy and matter are interchangeable, one being converted into the other constantly. 

If you are tempted to say that ghosts are not real, consider that in the book The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot that "there is evidence to suggest that our world and everything in it- from snowflakes to maple trees to falling stars and spinning electrons- are also only ghostly images, projections from a level of  reality so beyond our own it is literally beyond both space and time."

Most often, ghost stories and ghosts are associated with a traumatic event such as a murder or some other tragedy. A ghostly scene can also involve sounds such as weeping, screaming, rattling chains, music, and groaning, just to mention a few of the classics. A truly compelling apparition includes echoes of sound and light, both traveling in the form of waves.

Ultrasound is produced by a sound wave that is interpreted as a picture when the ultrasound device measures the difference in tissue density. The difference shows up as light and dark areas as well as an outline of the object being examined. The reflected "sound" is interpreted through a device that produces a picture based on the varying levels of tissue density. When an ultrasound technician bounces the sound off the tissues of an unborn baby in utero, the picture produced is white and, you might say, ghostly. Since most people are familiar with and understand what is being seen, there is little fear associated with ultrasound procedures.

Originally, yodeling was developed as a form of communication. It enabled yodelers to communicate across large distances. Yodeling is a good example of using echoes for a practical purpose. Musically speaking, yodeling depends not only on echoes, but echoes that can produce a multi-pitched musical composition. The yell from a yodeler bounces off a nearby mountain, as in the case of Swiss yodelers. However, this blog is not about the musical aspect of alternating chest voice with head voice; it is about the physical elements of echoes of sound and light. Yodeling is a small model of time travel. The departing trip and the return of the sound, ida y vuelta, is miniscule compared to the distance light would have to travel to be bounced back as a ghostly image.

Could the moon be reflecting ghostly light? The moon's surface reflects the sun's light so brilliantly that it seems that the moon is actually generating the light.

Ghosts are not forever. There are books about ghostly legends, that tell the story about ghosts that once were seen, but are no longer seen. Has their light faded as echoes gradually fade to silence?

Consider that even in these days ghosts are reported manifesting themselves. The light of these ghosts is strongly visible.

Where there is sound, there is an echo, but usually the reflected sound, once made, has to travel such a short distance that the echo-sound happens almost simultaneously with the original sound, so the echo is not heard.

An echo does not return at the same intensity as the original sound. The echo sound is modified by reflection, refraction, diffraction and transmission, and is diminished and/or changed during its return.

A hologram is a scientifically produced ghost. Holograms rely on lasers. L.A.S.E.R. stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. A laser light is a beam of light in one color that does not spread out like sunlight. The beam is focused by the use of mirrors and lenses. Laser light can be used to produce what appears to be a 3D or floating image. If you remember what Princess Leia's "holographic" image looked like in Star Wars, you'll see that her image could be said to resemble a ghost. Some images that appear to be holograms, such as in Disney's Haunted Mansion, are illusions, but they do rely on the careful manipulation of light. In the case of these illusions, "By varying the lighting, it is possible to show each manikin separately, or to superimpose both of them. A disadvantage of this is that only a few visitors at a time can see the illusion".
(http://www.pangolin.com/resguide03b.htm)

The appearance of ghosts, similarly, is rarely seen by more than one or a few people who are usually grouped in basically the same spot and looking at the spectral image from the same direction. That pretty much describes an audience viewing a hologram.

An echo loses strength each time it makes the trip from the "yodeler" to the mountain and back. Perhaps that's why many "ghosts" gradually stop making appearances. Ghosts seen a thousand years ago may fade, but new ghosts closer to our present time are also described. Perhaps the light of various apparitions bounces back from myriad and sundry places. Wouldn't we like to know the truth about this?

You've all heard those expressions like "I could eat off your floor," followed by “it's so clean”. Where did these sayings originate? I'm sure floor dining was never actually practiced. Well, I'm not so sure. There were times when pigs used to live in the house with people especially in the winter, and they ate from the floor. Pigs, I mean, not people. Don't be too literal in applying these expressions.

There are other similar expressions such as “If it was a snake it would have bit you.” Notice the lack of the subjunctive mood in was instead of were, indicating no uncertainty at all and the use of the past form of have rather than the participle, indicating a lack of grammatical pretension. The expression exists to make you feel stupid. There it is right in front of your eyes and you can't even see it.

Returning to the first expression, I want to ask if, when you hear a ridiculous saying, you formulate various replies in your head, none of which you actually say out loud.

I could eat off your floor:

• If it were that clean.
  
• If you were a dog.
  
• If you were hungry for new experiences.
  
• If you thought of it as a plate.
  
• If you were a drama queen.
  
• If you wanted to expose yourself to new microbes.
  
• If you were standing on your head and were accustomed to eating off the ceiling.
  
• If my floor was the ocean and you were a fish.
  

Fireflies are beetles, and there are two varieties: luminescent and non-luminescent. The book Colorado Nature Almanac states that:

"Each species of lampyrid beetle has its own unique light signal which varies in color and timing...British scientist Thomas Mouffet was less romantic. He wrote that fireflies '...being drank in wine make use of lust not only irksome but loathsome...' (129) (quoted in Evans, Life on a Little-Known Planet).

That seems a little harsh. Mouffet probably wouldn't sit on the front porch in the summertime and watch the fireflies flash. Here's a more romantic notion:

"In the Philippines they say fireflies received lanterns as a reward for finding jewels lost by the insect king..." (129).

The main ingredients of the cold light of fireflies is luciferin, luciferase, and adenosine triphosphate. The word Lucifer means light- bearer in Latin, but Lucifer is usually thought of as Satan in modern times. Rather than being pictured as a horned monster with a tail, hooves, and sometimes a pitchfork, the Old Testament pictures Lucifer as a bright, shining prince whose presence was set among sparkling jewels. The horns and tail often attributed to the more recent depictions of the Devil are derived from pagan cults whose gods and goddesses were often part or fully animal. Those gods were usually explicitly licentious and viewed as fertility symbols. Don't blame me for this.

At any rate, despite Mouffet's dismal view, people do enjoy firefly flashing on a summer's evening as the dark is lit as if by twinkling stars, and the sky seems not above us but all around us, we among the stars.

I'm sure you've seen a 52 pick-up and heard of the ever frolicsome card game 52 pickup. The word '52 pick-up usually is connected to the word Ford, like it or not, and a card game of the same name describes a game involving someone throwing a deck of cards to the ground and then someone else having to pick them up. Whee, what fun. The game of Pick Up Sticks, using real plastic sticks, at least requires you to have  manual dexterity.

In the gorgeous book The World of Moctezuma: Aztec by Jane S. Day, there are a couple of other "52"s. For instance, page 45, figure 63, shows a drawing of four priests standing in the positions of the four directions, holding big bundles of sticks to the fire. The descriptions reads "Priests light bundles of 52 sticks to carry the new fire to Tenochtitlan (from the Codex Borbonicus). The page text reads:

"On the day of the ceremony, all fires in the valley of Mexico were extinguished...At sunset, a solemn procession of priests dressed as gods traveled to the Hill of the Star south of Tenochtitlan. Arriving at the summit, they carefully watched for the constellation Pleiades to climb to its zenith in the night sky...an honored priest started a new fire on the chest of a specially selected captive."

When they had lit a new sacred fire, runners with torches ran to the homes of the people, giving them new light. The Aztecs counted time in 52-year cycles, two cycles making a century. There is probably a connection with that number of years and the 52 sticks. Fifty-two by four brings us the the figure to 208, although I haven't quite got it yet. I just wanted you to know that I could multiply. The Aztecs also had a game, see page 39 of the same book, called patolli:

"Played with a set of smooth pebbles on a mat marked with a large X that was divided into 52 boxes, the game was similar to the modern game Parcheesi...". 

Whether this game had any connection to 52 year cycles, it does not say.

Pretty much the same thing happened in Scotland and Ireland during the festival of Beltane. All the hearth fires in the land were snuffed. Giant bonfires were lit on hilltops, and from these sacred fires, all the hearth fires were lit again with new fire. The new replaces the old, same story, different location.