An Epidemic of Laughing in the Bukoba District of Tanganyika in 1964

from wikipedia:

The epidemic seems to have started within a small group of students in a boarding school, possibly triggered by a joke. Laughter, as is commonly known, is in some sense contagious, and for whatever reason in this case the laughter perpetuated itself, far transcending its original cause. Since it is physiologically impossible to laugh for much more than a few minutes at a time, the laughter must have made itself known sporadically, though reportedly it was incapacitating when it struck. The school from which the epidemic sprang was shut down; the children and parents transmitted it to the surrounding area. Other schools, Kashasha itself, and another village, comprising thousands of people, were all affected to some degree. Six to eighteen months after it started, the phenomenon died off.

I first hear about it on radio lab , an NPR science podcast.
It is real! You can Google it for medical journal stuff – I found some stuff but it was like reading in Latin!

this link was a bit more understandable
read more if you dare!

this link is for the American scientist.org website article

Jaxs

I draw very poorly; in fact, ask Trish she loved playing pictionary with me and lol-ing and how I draw. Its bad bad, anyway this silly cartoon started when my big sister Jacquie and I worked together long time ago I started a comic strip about her “jax the bouncing ball” my sister and I are not spick and span house keepers like our mother was/ is. We find messy in common. I have caught my mom moping my sisters floor. LOL this always cracks me up! I know jacquie’s intention are to have the house claen before mom arrives, partly because she knows mom will clean it and she wants mama to rest not clean.

Whale cookies in San Diego & Bag o' candy for the Surfliner

hot dogs in ventura county

did you think i jest? i take pictures of food often this would be meal at Morro Bay

pretty butter

I love to take pictures of food

My Man Friday

Robinson Crusoe
I am as far from a literary snob as one can get. remember me? Dean koontz is my favorite author. But I think I am developing a love of the classics. Now keep in mind when I say this I am listing to the books, usually at work. . I suppose if I had gone to school the normal amount of time, I might have been exposed to these sooner, but you know I hated school and dropped out, as soon I was old enough.
Recently it’s been Anne’s house of dreams, 1984(is that a classic?), and Jane Austen’s Emma what a treat. I love the movie adaptations of Austen’s books but I had no idea of the brilliance of her writing! As Heather would say “very amiable”. But what an awesome book Robinson Crusoe is.
It is a good book just with the pirates, swashbuckler, and castaways. From the beginning it felt like I was reading the Biblical book of Jonah or something like a prodigal son. To some degree I have felt excitement, curiosity, pity, fear, hope and sadness, thankfulness listening to this book. RC makes reference to a little goat with a broken leg that learns to love and follow him. I had this pastor tell the congregation one time, that a Shepard will brake or make lame the leg of a rebel lamb that continuously runs away and gets into trouble. In this state the lamb has to stay close to the master, wrapped around his neck thus pick up his scent and learning dependence on Him. The whole story of Rob is really just that. God’s pursuit of a rebel heart and the castaway stuff is super fun too!!

I think I need me some fruit!

You ever have one of those days when God really lets you see some of crap in your own heart? that was my day... all day.
It all started with a nasty little fight with my husband this morning; did I even for one minute consider turning the other cheek? Nooooo. Heck no I was right. Then it seamed like the rest of the day little blips into my own falsehood kept creeping into my conversation and thoughts. I am false sometimes, and I hate it.
It really made me long for a floor to lie down on face first and pray
I never seam to be able to get the not fighting when provoke thing down. I nearly always fail that test. That’s why I have very colorful language when I drive. I am so quick to anger when its “justified” (yeah right) I long to have a gentleness, kindness and patients toward others -when it’s not deserved.
I think I need me some fruit!

Meet Nando

Karel Fernando Timotius Makawawa from Indonesia

my new child I am sponsoring through Compassion International
Nando is 5 years old. I am excited to get to know this little guy, I though he looked smart, sad and adorable in his picture. It will be awesome to pray for him and hopeful sponsor him long term.

i am so proud of Heather :)

more big lake

 

From self destruction to Hope & Joy.

I've had been thinking about writing this down for awhile. My story of how I became a Christian. Well the first memories of Jesus and Church stuff, I was probably 6 or 7. In Sunday school we had this nifty construction paper heart craft; it was black, red and white. We where told that the black was for sin, the red for Jesus blood that cleanses us from sin and the white was your heart after we accepted Jesus. So that's my first memory of hearing the good news. My next memory is when I was 7, my uncle had just died and I was outside on the front porch, and I asked Jesus to come into my heart and forgive me of my sins. Now I grew up in and religious home, we attended church, sometimes Baptist and or Catholic. When I was older it was pretty much just the Catholic Church. It's like I have no memory of not know that Jesus was God. It's as much a fact as who my parents are. I don't think this knowledge was from a religious up bringing, I have siblings who are not Christians. My parents where "Christian" and moral people but I wound not describe them as "born again" living for Jesus, my mom might have been like this when I was really little but I don't remember. My mom was/is a sweet loving person and I truly treasure her.

I think God pursued me even as a child. As I grew up I had my mixed bag of sins and troubles like some people leave childhood with. Mine left me with a need for forgiveness, and some pretty unabashed self destruction. All this was before I was 12. In the true spirit of self destruction I was doing drugs, drinking, carving myself up, promiscuous and into devil worship. All this by 12!!! The devil was really popular in the early 80's! Yeah I was a mess. I think this was partly because my parents got divorced during this time and my father was the disciplinarian and when he was gone I got away with murder. With no real personal spiritual anchor my poor mommy had gone off the deep end, and she was middle aged and divorcing
(i am sure this was a very hard time for her). I got it into my head to runaway from home at this time, to Idaho. ( BURRR!!) A friend and I had a friend who had moved to Idaho and again in the true spirit of self destruction I thought this was a good idea to go. Well my sister and brother lived a state away, and during this time my mom arranged for me to "visit" them in California. I don't know really the particulars, if my mom new I was going to run away, and was trying to stop it but I am sure she was trying to get some control of me. But at any rate this first attempt to run headlong into self destruction was thwarted by God, in my opinion. I ended up in California living with my born again brother, sister in law, and sister. Little did I know this was a Devine appointment. Well I think I lived with them for quite awhile, I was put into school so I would say maybe 5 months? In this time my I was labored for in prayer, I was taken to church at least twice a week (Harvest in Riverside) and fell into a family routine. So it was October and I was pretty wigged out coming form all the freedom I had with a single working mom and devil stuff and drugs and other issues ,I was worn down every week by Gods calling to me, His word, the gospel message of Jesus bridging the gap between God and man, the Holy God willing to forgive me of my wickedness because of Jesus being the perfect atonement for my sins. Because of my childhood , knowing previously of Gods law , right and wrong and a my recent behavior I was not self deluded into thinking I was a "good" person and did not need to repent before a Holy God. I felt like sinner. It was almost tangible the spiritual battle I felt in my soul! It was a wild ,wild time in my life and I have never since felt anything that can remotely compare! So after all this wearing me down I knew I need to be reconciled with God, and I knew repenting and turning my life over to Him was the only option. In my childish mind I was convinced I need to have an "alter call" at church from the pastor to do this, so I waited for that weeks service to go up when called. In the few days before the service I was over come with the most out of control fear and anxiety I remember praying and asking Jesus to get me trough this anxiety and fear. Like I said before I have NEVER experienced anything like this since. Well the day came and I walked up after the alter call and accepted the Lord and the anxiety and fear went away. That was the crazy year of 12 for me.

Now a few things happened to me form 12-19!! Ah! my mom and I moved away from my Christian family really soon after my "alter call" I tried so hard to be so good for so long, I was lonely, un- churched and living in the "ghetto" in Anaheim California with my mom. We were really poor and cockroaches swarmed all over our clothes in the closets when we first moved into out apartment. This was very hard for me; I wanted a feeling and scene of family. I pretty much ended up like I was before, and I did run away and spent a summer in Anaheim California living in abandoned cars doing large amount of hard core drugs and completely running amuck, eating out of trash cans. Now this time a friend and I had some news of an abandoned car that just need some gas and when had plans to take off to Vegas or some other state, again I was really going to just toss my life away! Can you imagine a 14 old runaway in Vegas? Dear lord! Well we got arrested trying to gas up the car (I always get caught) and well I spend a week in juvenile hall and again I believe God had stop my attempts at complete self destruction. I was taken out of juvie by my dad who was really kind to me during this time. still self destructive but a little less immature, I tried to drink my self silly before school everyday but this only lasted as long as the whisky in the cupboard and that was gone pretty soon. This was probably the only time I really though seriously about suicide. I remember I tried to get back some soft of self respect during this time. Well mom came moved in took me to Anaheim again ( I think) then to Oregon. I was like 15 when we moved back to Oregon. I went to California and visited my sister my 15th summer and she sent me to Christian camp and I remembered what it was that I lost and again wanted to be on the right path.

Nothing stuck until I was 19, I moved from Oregon to California to be near my Christian family, and I turned completely from the lifestyle I was living and turned over my life to Jesus ever since. I admire and am thankful to God for children who can serve the Lord as teens. I failed at that. I truly wish I would have served and honored Him during my teen years. I am very grateful to my sister, sister in law, brother and cousin, who have shown me the way to Jesus and have been an encouragement all my life.

I sincerely believe God is why I am not self destructive, He has given me hope, renewed my mind and snatched me out of the fire. Some people find in themselves a way out of destructive lifestyles, but they are still going to die in there sins and not be reconciled with God. I am grateful beyond measure for His forgives and healing.
Luke 7:47 (New American Standard Bible)
"For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."

Big lake

My kids go to an “expeditionary learning school” they have frequent opportunities to learn outside the classroom through fieldwork, overnights and multi-day trips. In this last adventure the class went to Big Lake next to HooDoo for 3 days. The snow at Big Lake was out of control!!! The staff at the campground said this was more snow then they have had in many years. I have never seen so much snow in my life. The kids snow shoed into camp 3 miles, some of us parents had gone ahead and had hot homemade soup and bread waiting for them at the lodge. The kids Sled down the lodge roof, built snow caves, and had snow ball fights with the teachers. They did fieldwork also; one class they had a workshop on hypothermia, held outside of course. But I must admit the CAT pulled tube ride out of camp was extra super fun for me!! It turned out the parents that drove up to camp had to stay an extra night; the parking lot was 5 feet deep with snow /snow drifts and ODOT (Oregon department of transportation) had not plowed, and no one knew when they would again. I road up with Mo the chef and decided to hitch a ride on the school bus instead of staying the night at camp. That’s when the real fun started. The director of the school had called the bus shack ahead of time and warned them not to try to come to the parking lot. I guess he did not get the message. The school bus was stuck in snow for 4 hours! 45 middle school kids, parents ,teachers, random snow mobilers, good Samaritans, the bus shack supervisor, two trucks pulling and a CAT pushing could not unstuck the bus. What was left to do? Call a “wrecker” just when the wrecker showed an ODOT plow-er came to our rescue and pulled us out in less then a minute.
The kids sang super loud "we are champions" when we finally got free. What an adventure!
I can not wait for next year :)