SMILE – Page 4 – movingforwardslowly

Mascots and Team Spirit

Sunday, February 9th, 2025, will be a big day for players, mascots, and fans.

I am not a huge football fan; however, this upcoming Super Bowl has the potential to be a record-breaking game.

I have my pretzel bites and buffalo chicken dip ready to serve on Sunday.
I have some whole wheat pizza dough ready to defrost.
I might not need it. My husband brought home a Sam's club pizza tonight.
I don't have an appetite for eating pizza all weekend.
I do have some orange juice and blue moon beer.
I rarely drink alcohol. I might have a beer mimosa this Sunday.

I looked up the team mascots today. They are cute and look like they can rally up their team's spirits and get the crowd roaring!

Good Luck to all and let us all hope the game is fairly played.

Can You Guess the Correct Number of Gumballs in this Machine?

I was introduced to the “gumball problem” when I read about a mall contest that offered a prize to the person that could most accurately guess the correct number of gumballs in a giant machine. This image is AI generated.

There is a statistical theorem called the Central Limit Theorem that addresses this problem. If you want to get technical, you can research this theorem. I looked to Microsoft's co-pilot to explain it in simple terms. I wanted to make it understandable to school children with short attention spans.

Ask Microsoft co-pilot if you want to dive into another math challenge.

If you want the most accurate average, it is best to have a large number of random educated guesses. The more guesses you have, the more likely you are to arrive at the correct answer.

Also, having a diverse group with a range of perspectives can lead to a better average that hits or gets closest to the correct number.

Here is my editorial opinion: I think the "wisdom of crowds" can be used in many ways. We all want to be right or think we have the best answer, and the best way of arriving at it. However, I think it would be far more interesting to see many different methods of trying to guess the correct answer. This way you can learn something about how different people think about different problems, and the many methods you might try. Keep in mind the gumballs have to stay in the machine. You cannot remove any during the contest, or else the number will change.

Give Me a High Five, Please <..>

One goal I have for 2025 is to have more fun, laugh more, and not be afraid to be silly.

Casper the Friendly Ghost was my favorite cartoon as a kid growing up. To be honest, though, I have not followed his reincarnations in the entertainment industry.

If you happened to be named Casper (any spelling), and I were to meet you, I could not help but think about the friendly ghost cartoon I watched as a child. Past memories impact my thoughts and actions even today. I think a lot of us are that way. We have been molded by our life experiences. We have to consciously work at editing ourselves if our past notions are outdated.

My hopes for 2025 are that I continually update myself with information learned from new experiences, and yet not so much that I edit out any humor. We all need to laugh more and not take ourselves so seriously.

I wish health and happiness to all the good people in our world. Let us make 2025 a good year working together for the benefit of all.

Cowrie, Cowry, Kauri

(picture from Wikipedia.)

I found a small, smooth and shiny shell today. It was lying on the floor near my foot. I picked it up, and then slipped it in my pocket for later inspection. I’d gotten into the habit of doing this back in the days when I thought I could divine messages from found objects.

When the time came for further inspection, I recognized it as a common shell that I’d seen many times throughout my life: in shell games, jewelry, and other crafts. My specific shell is about an inch long, and it has a teardrop shape. Its colors are softly hued. It has a pale silver teardrop in the middle surrounded by a thin line of orange-red, and beyond that on the edges and under-side it is a soft sand color. Its top is domed, and the under side is flat with a slightly curved opening winding down the middle with small ridges on both sides.

I knew it had to have a name, but I could not remember what it was. I did a little online searching and was soon able to answer my own question. Its name is Cowry aka Cowrie or in Hindu Kauri. They come in various sizes and color patterns. I had to smile when I read that it is the shell of a sea snail. The snail has become somewhat of a totem or animal spirit for me this past year or so.

I also found it strangely coincidental that I found it a day before the start of Diwali – the Festival of Lights in India. I read that the Kauri shells are seen as a symbol of the Goddess Lakshmi. I don’t know very much about these things, but they do intrigue me.

At the end of a tiring work day, I like to let my imagination ponder the spirit of Lakshmi running through my life and mind. I’ll save my found shell and place it somewhere special.