July 10, 2009
What To Do When A Bell Rings
Oh, Pavlov! What in the world are you talking about?
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In This Issue...
1) This Month's Funny AdviceDo you measure up?
2) Studies (claims) In Psychology:
Hope you're hungry, because I just heard the dinner bell!
3) Entertainment Peck Of the Month:
Harvey
4) Interview of the Month:
Eaglebert Humperdink, one of the nation's most sought after ballet instructors.
5) They Said - She Said:
Dr. Julia takes on Ivan Pavlov
6) What's New On Advice with Dr. Julia.com
7) Peeks and Tweaks!
The Story of the Bottled Kisses
July's Funny Advice
Some expectations may be unreasonable, but try never to fall short of integrity!
Studies (claims) In Psychology
I Hear a Bell and PRESTO! I'm Hungry!Maybe you're familiar with the late Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov. You know, the guy most noted for what is called "the phenomenon of classical conditioning"?
Pavlov starts out wanting to study the gastric function in dogs, which sounds reasonable - no? Part of that study involved collecting and measuring the dog's saliva.
To do this, Pavlov holds food in front of the dog. The Dog gets hungrier by the second and drools with anticipation.
The experiment takes a turn into this so called "phenomenon" when Pavlov discovers that the dog starts to salivate before food is even presented. All that has to be done to trigger this response is to ring a dinner bell a few times and before you know it the doggy expects dinner - EUREKA! Nobel Prize!
Doesn't do the same for me as Edison's "Mary Had a Little Lamb", but somehow it shook those psychologists up quite a bit. The only thing that this experiment proves to me is the sad state of man's intellect.
How is it so astonishing that if every time I ring the dinner bell everyone comes running for dinner equipped with a hardy appetite? Or if every time I yell, "Bath time!" and the kids run in the opposite direction, do I tug at my long, white whiskers and conclude "classical conditioning"? Not that I have long, white whiskers. I do my best to pluck them out as I see them.
Is it a phenomenon to expect Grandma's apple pie to be delicious or the lines at the Division of Motor Vehicles to be long? Were the villagers demonstrating this phenomenon when they heeded not the boy's cry concerning the wolf?
I'll tell you what's a phenomenon... thinking that experiment was a phenomenon, gaining notoriety for it, and the fact that every time I typed phenomenon I spelled it wrong. Now that's phenomenal!
Click on the picture of good old Pavlov below where you can see just how this experiment took place... as well as a few more of my thoughts on it.
Entertainment Peck of the Month
Harvey (1950)This film is one of my all time favorites starring James Stewart and Josephine Hull. It was actually based on a Pulitzer prize winning play by Mary Chase and both Stewart and Hull graced the stage with their performances there as well.
Elwood P. Dowd (Jimmy Stewart) has a best friend that most everyone, especially his sister (Josephine Hull), find very troubling. The friend's name is Harvey and he just so happens to be a six foot tall, white rabbit.
Elwood has no problem being seen everywhere with his invisible friend Harvey, much to his family's despair. So, in order to save the family name Elwood's sister devises a plan to have him committed to an asylum.
I highly recommend you sit down with your family this month and watch Harvey - the kids will love it, too... well, maybe.
You see, I once heard Mr. Stewart speak about a live performance of Harvey where there happened to be a fidgety, little boy in the audience.
Evidently, after much patience endured the youngster could take it no longer and cried out from his seat, "Aw, where's the rabbit?"
***Video will only work for the month of July!***
Interview of the Month: Eagleburt Humperdink
This month we have the pleasure of meeting the world renowned Eagleburt Humperdink. Best known are his stellar performances in Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, and of course, his controversial leading role in Swan Lake.
Eagleburt may not be performing now a days, but he is far from retired. He is both founder and head instructor of the Humperdink Dance Academy here in the center of town.
Migrating dancers from around the world come in flocks to study with this great master of the craft, and by the time Dr. Julia and I concluded our interview we understood why!
Now it's your turn to learn about the man... er - uh, bird behind the dance.
Dr. J: Hello, Eagleburt! So nice to see you without those slippers on your feet. How are you today?
E.H.: Good day, lovely ladies of the internet. I am indeed doing well. And, Dr. Julia, you know I only wear the slippers when dancing! (Ha, Ha!)
Lora: Mr. Humperdink, our visitors may recall your appearance here in an article we did about good parenting skills.
Dr. J: Yes, and weren't you surprised to see an "eagle teaching ballet class"?
Lora: Me? Ummm, I sort of remember it being you that was surprised.
Dr. J: Whatever, Dear. Eagleburt, I imagine it was difficult to overcome the preconceived notion that some people have concerning eagles.
E.H.: Oh, yes! When I was a child I was refused dance lessons from every studio that my poor mother took me.
Lora: This was in Moscow... you grew up in Russia - right?
E.H.: Yes. Another stumbling block! Obviously, I was an American, that I could not hide, and I was ridiculed for my desire to dance like the great Baryshnikov!
Dr. J: And that's where the phony Russian accent comes into play.
E.H.: I thought we agreed not to discuss that.
Dr. J: Don't be silly! I agreed to no such thing.
Lora: You don't have to answer any questions that make you uncomfortable, Mr. Humperdink.
Dr. J: Oh, of course not! So you start mimicking the Russian accent in order to get one step closer to your dream? I completely understand that.
Lora: Dr. Julia, I think it would be better said that Mr. Humperdink started to "learn" the Russian language rather than "mimic" it. Isn't that so, Mr. Humperdink?
E.H.: Uh, no. Actually, I never learned to speak Russian.
Dr. J: But you've mastered the accent! And the dance! Why, you dance circles around Baryshnikov. (Ha, Ha) You know, those spins and twirls you do? (Ha, Ha)
Lora: Your mother was instrumental in your achievement as a dancer. Was your father likewise as supportive?
E.H.: Well... not at first. He was concerned about my future. He had many friends in the U.S. that had great influence in high places and he hoped that I would accept their many offers for employment.
Dr. J: Does your father speak with a phony accent as well?
E.H.: No, but when he was stationed in Italy he did pick up the phrase "Momma Mia!" He says that quite a bit to this day.
Lora: The Humperdink Dance Academy, just a wonderful place! You have students from around the world and of all ages. Do you believe that you have inspired other eagles to take up the art of ballet?
Dr. J: I don't know of any. I say, no.
Lora: I was asking you the question, Mr. Humperdink.
E.H.: Oh, uh... no.
Dr. J: Eagleburt, do you think it possible for you to speak without such a thick, Russian accent? For instance, can you enunciate the letters v or w?
E.H.: Well, I don't know? I've been speaking this way for so long that I ...
Dr. J: Stop by my receptionist's desk on your way out, Eagleburt, and I'll see you next week.
Lora: Oh? Well it was awful nice to meet you, Mr. Humperdink! I wish you continued success.
Dr. J: Don't worry. We'll get him taken care of.
They Said - She Said
Dr. Julia said...
"When there is a ringing in your ears and no bell is involved it may be because someone is talking about you... and not necessarily nicely!"
What's New On Advice with Dr. Julia
Well, the biggy for July would be Dr. Julia eCards! I am not going to include links or passwords directly in this or any other issue of Behind the Scenes With Dr. Julia because back issues will be available to non-subscribers, however, the eCards will NOT!The variety is limited for now, but as the weeks progress more Dr. Juliaisms will be added so you'll be sure to find something for everyone on your mailing list.
Be sure to check your in-box after you receive each month's issue of Behind the Scenes With Dr. Julia for the new monthly password to access your eCards!
And don't forget to sign up for the Humorous Advice Blog to receive updates throughout the month (just in case we add something new). Don't laugh. We might add something new. Like a store, an Ask Dr. Julia section... yep, that's what's up our sleeves for the next couple weeks. Keep your eyes open!
Peeks and Tweaks
Allow me to introduce Bottled Kisses! I should say reintroduce, because thousands of years ago it was a common practice to store kisses in bottles and take them on long journeys. We've simply forgotten, that's all. I'm here to make sure that such a wonderful practice isn't lost forever!Bottled Kisses are a great way for kids to get kissed good night by a grandmother, even though that grandmother may live thousands of miles away!
Bottled Kisses come in handy when a child scrapes their knee. Even though Daddy's at work, a kiss can still be placed on the boo-boo!
This is Bottled Bedtime Kisses. One hundred bedtime kisses fit quite comfortably inside the bottle. You simply take a deep breath and proceed to smooch directly into the bottle until you achieve one hundred.
Bedtime kisses can be little rascals and they are very potent. Great care needs to be taken to replace the lid to prevent the kisses from escaping!
Once the bottle is filled you may give it to the child of your choice, however, good kisses may be shared among many children.
Kept out of direct sunlight, the kisses stay fresh and potent for hundreds of years.
Below we have Bottled Boo-Boo Kisses.
Boo-boo kisses need to be stored separately because, as I mentioned before, bedtime kisses are such rascals!
Once again, the bottle safely holds one hundred kisses.
But unlike a bedtime kiss that is usually only taken at bedtime (and sometimes naps) a boo-boo kiss is often retrieved numerous times throughout the day.
What this means is... they won't last one hundred days!
If the supplier lives very far from the child that finds that they've run out of kisses, there is no need to panic.
Simply fill an envelope with the appropriate kisses and place them in the mail box.
Good kisses need not be marked "fragile" as they are very hardy.
Your Feed Back Needed!
I hope to have an online shop set up within the next few weeks and it would do my heart, mind, and motivation good to hear of your interest in The Bottled Kisses!Drop me a note, ask me a question, or just encourage me to get the store up and running.
If all three of you sent me a nice note it would really make my day! I need you guys! We're like the three musketeers... with that fourth guy that kinda tags along.
Click this link to send me a note!
That's it for this issue of Behind the Scenes with Dr. Julia. Tune in next month for more of the same - only better, of course. And make sure you recommend Dr. Julia to all those individuals that desperately need help.
Until next time,
Lora and Dr. Julia
PS.
Dr. Julia and I would love to know your thoughts on this issue of Behind the Scenes with Dr. Julia, tell us about them here. We may post your comment on Advice with Dr. Julia... and Dr. Julia herself just might answer you back!