Sprung?

It's amazing! No matter what vowel(s) you put between the consonants spr and ng the resulting word has a very strong connotation of dramatic action.

Try these: Sproing. Spring. Sprang. Spraing. Sproung. Spryng. Spreeng. Spreing. Sprying. Sproong... Say them out loud. Let them roll off your tongue. See how they sound? Action!

You can even add an ing to any of the above and it still works.

And then there's spreng. Hmmmm.... Not as good but could still work for animals - as in "Yesterday my dog Simbad was exhausted from all his sprenging at the beach."

When Your Switch Is Not The Only Switch

When your switch is not
The only switch in town
You need to keep an eye on it
Though in the dark it's hard
To know exactly where it's gone.
I speak metaphorically of course
It has not left my office.
When the people who designed my floor
Decided where to place
Override controls
On light conditions in my office.
They chose a place
Too far away
For me to see.
Neither I nor any other future occupant
Was to be trusted apparently.
Placed beside the entrance lobby door
For all to try
And I am never sure
When the lights go on
And off in my office
Who the person switching
My switch on or off is.

The News

Why are people so obsessed with the news? And how do we choose the particular news we become obsessed with? Is it based on our dreams and aspirations? On our worst dreams and nightmares? On our sense of relief that it's not happening to me?

The other day my friend Janice wanted to know what planet I was on when I thought that her reference to Runaway Bride had something to do with the movie.

"Are you living in a deep dark hole somewhere - completely out of touch with the rest of us"? She wanted to know.

"Yes! I am" I replied. "I'm an orthodox hassidic Rabbi remember"?

She laughed.

And then I remembered that I HAD heard this Runaway Bride mentioned in the news when her groom announced he forgave her completely.

So now I'm thinking that maybe my dark hole isn't dark or deep enough.