Humor

Most of us have long known from personal experience that humor, laughter and smiling are good for us. So it is reassuring to read Doctor Miller's assessment: “Heightened stress magnifies the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes. Having a good sense of humor is an excellent way to relieve stress and anxiety and bring back a sense of normalcy during these turbulent times."

Let go of your fear and hate to discover what you love. One should not let what they hate, blind them to what they love. Like Jefferson, I love life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in that order. Though I do hate murder and slavery I do not let it define what I love. Though Life and Liberty are defined by the Constitution in America, the pursuit of happiness is an individual choice.

A lot of people knew Bob Crowell better and longer than I did. My heart goes out to them all. My heart also goes out to the communities he served. They may not know what they have lost. They have lost a selfless, consensus building and principled advocate.

Bob could sit for hours in rooms with people who righteously argued their positions - talking over one another. Bob would not weigh in. He would listen. Really listen. And then he would find common ground. And things would move forward.

He was a devoted husband. Father. Grandfather. I don’t have the words to speak for their loss.

I've been compiling a list of memorable things people have had to say about Mark Twain for 30 years now, and most of them are from Twain scholars, but a few might surprise you, as being from folks you might recognize.

Huntington & Ellis, home to some of the best realtors in Las Vegas, is #1,263 on the INC 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America. It has grown 355 percent from 2016 to 2019.

To my mind there are at least four ways to ponder religion, you can believe in God, you can not believe in God, you can wonder if there is a God, or you can believe God & Mother Nature are different words for the same thing. I happen to fall into the last camp, though I would never try to persuade anybody to come over to my way of thinking.

Observing Safe Distancing The Auxiliary of the Fleet Reserve Association, Sierra Tahoe Unit No. 137 installed their new officers earlier this month at the Carson City home of the West Coast Regional President, Brenda Horton.

If you know Shanell Cavener, then you are tremendously lucky. If you work with her, or she taught you, then the luck is multiplied tenfold (hopefully this is the right math to use, Shanell?).

Shanell Cavener is this year’s Carson High School Teacher of the Year, and she could not be more deserving of the honor. Shanell is quiet, often working behind the scenes in ways people would not even realize in order to benefit the lives of all who enter CHS.

This Friday night at the Carson Comedy Club inside the Carson Nugget the headliner will be the star of the "Casino Boss" sitcom series comedian Joby Saad.

The first European to see America, so far as we know, was a Norseman named Barney, somewhere around A.D. 986. Barney was wading ashore, holding his shoes, when he encountered some Native Americans who were not in a good humor that particular morning, and they gave Barney the bum's rush. So he absquatulated (cut stick) in his dinghy, and rowed like crazy for home, anywhere but America.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, at one point during Wednesday’s raucous presidential debate on the Las Vegas Strip, suggested her opponents take their sparring down to the MGM Grand for fight night.

It was an apt comparison. The eight previous Democratic debates were marked by relatively civil policy disagreements interrupted by occasional dustups and memorable one-liners. On Wednesday night, the gloves came off.

Simple pleasures, like nibbling on homemade French fries dipped in killer ranch dressing, are what social workers at the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services Carson City District Office look forward to most in the thick of daily stressors.

Was there humor to be found in the Impeachment Trial? You bet there was. To begin, you can't ask a senator who is used to jumping up and pontificating every five minutes to sit still and listen to somebody else for eight hours without interrupting.

Writer, humorist and environmentalist Michael Branch will discuss his works this Tuesday, Jan. 14 at the Nevada State Library and Archives in Carson City as part of its Brown Bag luncheon series. Branch is the author of several published books, one of which is the Pulitzer-Prize nominated John Muir’s Last Journey: South to the Amazon and East to Africa.

The Orchestra Program of Carson City School District is holding its Holiday Concert Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Carson City Community Center. Just the idea of a concert in Carson City is exciting enough, but it gets even better because this musical event will cost audiences absolutely nothing except a little time and effort getting there. Admission is free.

Do you want to build a snowman? Wild Horse Children’s Theater is taking Northern Nevada by (snow)storm presenting DISNEY’S FROZEN, JR. at the Brewery Arts Center Performance Hall, 511 W. King Street in Carson City for two weekends only.

Heading into Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, events around the capital city include a Polka Dot Powerhouse lunch connect at Red's Old 395 Grill, "Get Fit with Fight Camp" at Yaple's Ballroom, the Navy League capital city chapter will celebrate veterans at its monthly meeting held at Gold Dust West, the Carson City School District seeks public input on its Strategic Plan at a community meeting, plus art showings, classes and more.

Join us on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 11:30 to 1:30 for the Polka Dot Lunch Connect at Red's 395 Grill. We are excited to have Jenn Taylor speak at our meeting. Her talk is titled: "Compounding Ways to Have More Joy!"

I had the honor of meeting some young authors at Edgewood Tahoe Resort the other evening, and was heartened to discover that the spirit of Mark Twain is alive and well, as represented by this handful of today's writers who invoke a Twainian sentiment.

Happy Saturday, Carson City! We're going to have a warm day in the low 70s, so be sure to throw on your t-shirts which may be the last time this fall (barring the typical end of November inexplicable heat wave).

On the docket today we have the 30th annual Outhouse Races in Virginia City, a guitars and ukulele performance at the BAC, fundraisers, and more. Check out below to see what we've got going on for the rest of the weekend:

Saturday, October 5

Heading into the weekend, there’s a bevy of activities around the Carson City region over the next three days. Events include the 30th annual Outhouse Races in Virginia City, American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event in Carson City, Fright Night at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, Oktoberfest at the Casino Fandango, the 26th annual 'Making a Difference' Golf Tournament and much more!

CARSON CITY — The storm’s coming, and Travel Nevada invites all naruto runners to take part in the Area 51 Intergalatic Scavenger Hunt (Area 51-ISH) this fall. Find and get Unidentified Free Objects (UFOs) and other spacy swag on Nevada’s Extraterrestrial Highway and in surrounding communities of Tonopah, Caliente and Pioche.

Good morning Carson City and happy Saturday! It’s going to get hot again today with a high of 93, but don’t worry, as we get out further into the week the weather will turn more autumnal with highs in the 70s. It could be the last hot day for a while, at least until a freak 90s+ hot day in November followed by a week long blizzard, so enjoy it while it’s here!

Today on the docket we have the farmers market, a Celtic fair at Dangberg Ranch, craft shows, and more! Check below to see the events throughout the weekend:

Saturday, September 14

Heading into the weekend, there’s a bevy of activities around the Carson City region packed with excitement over the next three days. Events include the Silver State Art Festival at Fuji Park, suicide awareness walks in Carson City, a Celtic faire at Dangberg Home Ranch, the ninth annual Edible Pedal bike ride at Bowers Mansion, train rides in Virginia City and much more!

CARSON CITY — The Beatles Flashback is coming to the Brewery Art Center’s performance hall on Sept. 28, 2019 at 7 p.m. to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road, which was originally released Sept. 26, 1969. Come by the BAC to hear some of your favorite Beatles hits as we celebrate 50 years of the Fab Four.

Watching them gather, wearing pajamas, wrapped in blankets, and celebrating the beginning of their senior year, the Class of 2019-2020 gathered together at 6:00 a.m. Aug. 30 on the bleachers of the Carson High School football field to watch the sun rise; it is the beginning of their last year at CHS, and, for some of them, their last year as students who were raised within the Carson City School District, students who went from kindergarten at Mark Twain Elementary to Carson Middle School and have spent the last three years at CHS.

The third annual Friends of Coach Blaver Memorial Fundraiser to benefit the Northern Nevada Alzheimer’s Association will take place Sunday, September 8, 2019, from 4 - 7PM, at the Westside Pour House & Artsy Fartsy Art Gallery parking lot, 110 Telegraph St. Carson City, NV 89703.

Annual Women’s Retreat at Oasis Community Church, 1520 South Maine Street, Fallon, NV, 9am-3pm. 775 423-2300. Women (18+) throughout Churchill County will come together for laughter, fun, food and fellowship. The retreat includes a continental breakfast, lunch, crafts, music and a special guest speaker.

Roger Morrison Laird passed away on August 6, 2019, in the comfort of his home in Carson City, NV surrounded by close family.

Roger was married to his high school sweetheart, Jean (Russell) Laird. They shared 56 years of marriage.

While in a wistful mood of late, I've been listening to the music of Miss Dinah Washington, who was on her seventh husband when she died of an overdose of alcohol and weight reduction pills at age 39, so young.

Dinah had a soft as cotton, tough as leather sound of someone who had seen more in her 39 years than you or I will ever see.