On envy, good folks and life after death

Soft, feathery breezes caress your body under a hot tropical Cozumel sun, while the warm turquoise water laps at the beach's edge as you luxuriate in a hammock, sipping a cool margarita ... it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it. And how was your week? Carolyn spent a week off the coast of Mexico, enjoying her time with friends from Carson City's "Strictly Scuba," including Virginia Ramirez and Margaret and Dan Montes, formerly of Carson City, now of the great state of Florida. Manuel and Tomas were good to her, too (use your own imagination). They all had a great time, with excellent food and a side trip to the pristine beaches of Playa del Carmen. Not a bad way to spend a vacation ... not that "anyone else" is envious ... well, maybe a smidge ...

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One of the best things C, said she saw was a bumper sticker in Houston ... "Clean up Congress without DeLay" ... mercy ... and in Texas, too ...

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So the Legislature chopped the Kinkead Building off the funding chart ... Maizie can remember when they were building it ... there was an earthquake, and all the "builders" got out of the building PDQ ... they didn't consider it "safe" then ... does the Legislature think it ages and gets better like wine? We have an idea ... let the Legislature hold its meetings there in the next two years, and see if they fund it then ... our bet would be they would ...

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One of our readers wrote to us about witnessing a state senator (she didn't get the number) speeding through Pleasant Valley at 65 mph ... she e-mailed all of them, asking about the apparent disregard of the 50 mph speed limit, but has not received one reply. Let's hope they at least took it as a reminder to not zip through the valley ...

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From Sherry Hester ... "A boss asked his employee, 'Do you believe in life after death?' "Certainly not ... there's no proof of it." The boss said, "Well, there is now. After you left early yesterday to attend your brother's funeral, he came in here looking for you."

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And while we're at it, Mel Rappaport tells us that the Harvard School of Medicine did a study of why Jewish women like Chinese food so much. The study revealed that this is due to the fact that wonton spelled backward is "not now" ...

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Mel also brought up the story of the new movie "Cinderella Man," starring Russell Crowe. He saw the original fight during the "Great Depression" with Irish Jimmy Braddock vs. Max Baer Sr., and said that while it was a great upset, it was also "a very dull bout" ... that "Braddock was a very nice ordinary fighter ... all he had was a good left jab," but that Baer clowned around during the early rounds and was docked three rounds by the referee for "back slapping, etc.." So later when he tried for a KO, it was too late to nail Jim, and he lost the championship by a decision ... looks like Max Baer Jr. is duplicating that feat vs. the Carson City supervisors ...

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Kudos to the following: Tamara Holmes and her "Positive Energy" kids for putting on such a cute recital; 84-year-old "Ma" Tate and Rudy Schmid for getting older this week; Silver Oak Golf Club for putting on a "Safe Grad" fund-raiser Sunday ... $5 got you a Coke and a hot dog and the knowledge you will help keep kids safe after graduation (they are also open for dinner, starting tomorrow night ... Wednesdays through Saturdays); and Rick Gunn, for planning his round-the-world trip to include Make A Wish (call 721-5005 for details to help out). All are good people ...

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Now, for the bad'ns ... Learn to drive, for Pete's sake ... use your blinkers ... stop at stop signs ... pry the cell phones out of your ears and pay attention. If you're on a bike, go with the traffic, learn hand signals, and stop floating through stop signs. If you're a pedestrian, walk against traffic so that you can see what's coming ... there ... we've vented ...

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Barbara Watson had a thrill recently when she came into her living room and found it covered in bees. Seems a swarm had buzzed down the chimney and into the house. She finally contacted the very kind Bill Knight, who smoked them out, made a screen for the flue, and didn't charge her ... who says chivalry is dead? Next time, "bee" careful (groooooan) ...

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More people would be speaking English if there were more English tutors ... Kathy Thompson tells us the ESL In-Home program has a waiting list of 38 students, so they desperately need more tutors. If you can speak, you can teach ... it's a one-on-one situation, in your own home, if you choose ... please contact Florence Phillips, director, at 888-2021. She will also come and speak to your club or organization. Training and materials are furnished, and you have the satisfaction that you have made life a little easier for someone ...

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Congratulations to the Community Counseling Center ... Mary Bryan, executive director, says they are celebrating 20 years in Carson City, and still furnishing free youth diversion programs, even though their federal money has run out. To raise additional money to continue their programs, they need to sell 300 $100 tickets on a brand-new 2004 Dodge Viper (an $85,000 car) ... so please call Mary at 882-3945, and hope to drive away in a great car.

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Don't forget the Carson Rendezvous at Mills Park this weekend ... the BAC Stage Kids will be performing the "Pied Piper of Hamelin" and "We The People," and there will be all kinds of fun and educational activities going on ...

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Ken Frazier tells us the following ... "A woman was shopping and had a half-gallon of milk, a carton of eggs, a head of lettuce and a quart of orange juice in her basket. As she was unloading her groceries onto the conveyer belt, a drunk behind her says, 'You must be single.' The woman was a bit startled by this proclamation, but she was intrigued by the drunk's intuition because she was indeed single. She looked at her groceries to see what could have given that away, but seeing nothing, she asked him, "How on earth did you know that?" The drunk replied, 'Cause you're ugly.'"

n Carolyn DeMar and Maizie Harris Jesse are longtime Carson City residents. Write to them at editor@nevadaappeal.com.