Truly Puzzling Phenomena

Here are a few random thoughts for you to entertain. Think of it as hosing down your mind. You might want to ponder such things while having a root canal.

*Does not the use of the term “downhill skiing” imply there must also be such a thing as “uphill skiing”? It doesn’t sound like it’d be very exciting to watch. Or to do.

*Why do they give housing developments names like “Log Cabin Estates” and “Swiss Mountain”? There are no log cabins in the one, not even a building that vaguely resembles a log cabin. As for the other, there is no mountain for many miles around, and I don’t know of any Swiss living in it. Who dreams up these names? I mean, you wouldn’t call a pet shop “Moe’s Hardware” or “Yum-Yum Bakery,” would you?

*In a softball game actually played many years ago at my local YMCA, some very odd things happened. First a batter took a mighty swing, lost control of the bat, and sent it flying through some poor devil’s window, 50 feet away. You might expect a ball to break your window–but a bat? A few minutes later, another batter swung, and smack!–a line drive straight back into the pitcher’s glove. Only the catcher had the ball. And when the pitcher looked into his glove, there was a bird in it instead of a softball. What mysterious force was at work here?

*Why do cats wait until precisely the most awkward moment to dash right in front of your feet, and then complain if they get stepped on? What motivates them to do this, again and again? that’s something I would really like to know.

If you know the answers to any of these questions, please feel free to share.