Zuska is the kick-ass alter-ego of Suzanne E Franks. When not dispensing Zuska's wisdom, Suzanne can often be found gardening, reading, or having one of her thrice-weekly migraines.
It's Friday, and I've had two whole days this week without migraine, plus one day with a headache that only lasted an hour. So far today (9:16 a.m. as I write) I do not have a headache and the sun is shining, which, as Zuskateers know, constitutes the makings of a perfect day for Zuska. In the spirit of Scienceblogs Fridays, I offer you this trifle.
Tuesday morning I woke up without a headache and the sun was shining. So out I went to enjoy a delightful brunch at one of my favorite Chestnut Hill spots, Roller's Expresso. While reading the Philadelphia Inquirer, I was reminded of a visit to a dear friend many years ago, when perhaps a few bottles of lager negated the minor inhibitions I do have (I am an off-the-charts extrovert), and I conjured an impression of a vaguely-German-accented, gravelly-voiced female therapist, chain-smoking while admonishing a bewildered client with tough-love therapy advice. Well, according to the Philly Ink, now Mr. T is doing it in real life (sans German accent and chain smoking) on his tv show! Here is a quote from the article:
"My show ain't no Dr. Phil, where people sit around crying, 'What's wrong with me, Dr. Phil? What's wrong with me, Dr. Phil?' " said Mr. T. "You are a fool! That's what's wrong with you. ... My show is the Dr. Phil on wheels."
I howled out loud with laughter in Roller's Expresso when I read that. I think people were looking at me. I sooooo wanted to share what I was reading with someone but I wasn't sure anyone around me would actually appreciate it.
Mr. T goes on to dispense a little love along with the toughness:
Why do you pity the fool? "You pity the fool because you don't want to beat up a fool," Mr. T explained. "You know, pity is between sorry and mercy. See, if you pity him, you know, you won't have to beat him up."
That seems reasonable to me.
It just occurs to me now that Thus Spake Zuska is a little like a vaguely-German-accented, gravelly-voiced, chain-smoking** female therapist for the science and engineering community.
I pity the fool.
**Zuska does NOT endorse cigarette smoking for anyone. Only for fictional vaguely-German-accented therapists. It's what makes them gravelly-voiced.
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