Sideswipe: April 26: Screaming shoes

The power of meditation

"I fly quite frequently domestically around New Zealand for work and often listen to a short meditation," writes Jane. "Last week I chose an abundance meditation. In the evening I joined my online meditation group and when that finished I opened the BNZ app to pay my koha. Wow! Two new term deposits had been created in my name, each for $500,000. Sadly I'm pretty sure these aren't for me and have messaged BNZ to let them know, but full marks to the abundance meditation for effort."

Mundane love stories

He said, "I have a riddle for you", then he took my hand and traced a line down the middle of my palm. "This is a river. It is too wide to jump over, too deep to wade across, too fast to swim across, and too long to go around. There is a bunny stuck on one side of it. How does the bunny cross the river?" After about 10 minutes of me trying to guess the answer I gave up and asked him how the bunny got across the river. He said, "Who cares? I just wanted to hold your hand!"

Tabloid LOLS

Peter Seridan's round-up of the tabloids on Boing Boing recently included this: "The tabloids continue to analyse the political landscape with their trademark insight and subtlety. 'Caitlyn Getting Smaller Boobs So Run For Gov Won't Go Bust!' states the Globe, which asks readers to believe that Caitlyn Jenner is considering breast reduction surgery 'to look more conservative' for voters if she runs for the California Governor's office. Because everyone knows that Californians won't vote for a Governor with oversized silicon implants – it's the question foremost in the minds of the electorate in every opinion poll."

Busted

The good old days of blatant sexism

"I read with interest the old newspaper article about women in the police force," writes Linda Bishop of Taupō. "This sort of thing went on in other work areas as well. My first job when I left school in 1966 was with the Bank of New Zealand. Males doing exactly the same work as me were paid more. When I got married in 1968 I was told I would have to resign as the bank did not employ married women. Seems unreal today.

Declining invitations

A reader from Westmere writes: "My fave is one told by broadcaster David Frost (presumably reliable, since it is against himself): In 1986, Frost rang the legendary comedian Peter Cook to invite him to 'a little dinner party on behalf of Prince Andrew and his new bride-to-be Sarah Ferguson. I know they'd love to meet you, big fans; be super if you could make it: Wednesday the twelfth'. 'Hang on,' said Cook, 'I'll just check my diary'. After a pause and the sound of leafing through pages, Peter said, 'Oh dear. I find I'm watching television that night'."