turkey Turkey TURKEY

"So, are you going for a riff on that 1970 war movie?"

Maybe just a little bit, but mostly I was pointing out how that one word had three different meanings tonight.

"Really? Were you at Philo Cafe for a discussion?"

No, I was at another Odd Lot show, the Monday night one that I have always enjoyed.

"I thought you had movies in Pooler to attend or something. Hadn't Carolyn asked about that new Indian film and when you might go?"

Yes, she did, on the way to meet with Sandy at Barbara's Oscar-viewing party. How very nice to be able to see it on a regular-sized television set!

"Yes, it was, as opposed to last year or in years past. Now, what about the possible trip to the Royal? "

Oh, yes, I had to tell her 'no' for tonight. Lord, do you know who I just thought of when I said that? Jim! Old Jim Trott of...

"...of "The Vicar of Dibley". Yes, dear, I know. Whyever does your mind keep straying so far off course? "

Sorry, love. Let me see, I was saying... yes, I had to tell Carolyn 'no' because I had promised myself more Odd Lot and Mondays are only $5. So, that's where I was tonight. I think Wednesday is looking good for maybe an Indian doubleheader, catching up on last week's "Gully Boy" as well as "Total Dhamaal". Of course, that's if I can get the times to mesh a bit better...

"Please, work on that another time. Right now, I'm just trying to find out why you titled this post about a bird."

Au contraire! Ce n’est pas seulement un oiseau, mais aussi un pays et un bowling!

"Um, okay. Something something bowling..."

My bad! You know, I have so missed the Francophone Film Festival this year, now that Armstrong has been completely merged into...

"Sigh. "
(Tapping foot and arching eyebrow.)

...But that's neither here nor there, is it? Yes. As I was saying, the word 'turkey' not only refers to a bird, but also to a country and to a term in the game of bowling.

"And those Odd Lot folks used it in all three ways, did they?"

They did! You would have been so very pleased! One of the skits had Zach, Jason, and Bobbi Renee pose as bowlers. Zach played this obnoxious over-achiever that managed to score strikes on adjacent lanes using just the one ball! That's when someone asked "If he does that for all ten frames, does that mean he gets a double turkey?" LOL! I'm pretty sure he would have been disqualified if he was bowling in a league! Also, it takes strikes in three consecutive frames to have a turkey. Whoever it was talking about the sport thought a perfect score of 300 was a turkey. I guess that's because of the three in a row needed...

"Jeez Louise! You were so jam up and jelly tight, my girl, and now you're rambling like you were the other day! You need to listen up and let me tell you this: we are not going to be up until 4 AM tonight, no we will not."

Gnome, we won't be, I promise.
(smile)
And you can blame the running bear for this ramblin' road! When he saw the photo on fb of me with my prize, he'd quipped a little faux talk.
Him: Is that your date?
Me: Gnome it is not.
And that's when I realized how much it 'sounded' like someone saying "no ma'am", but slurring it together into one work, like we do down South.
Pretty cool, right?

"Yes, that is pretty cool. He's Southern, too, so he probably did that on porpoise."
(grinning widely)

Exactly what I was thinkin'!
So, where was I... oh, yeah, telling you about tonight's improv. So, I've talked about the bowling turkey. The word next appeared in a skit I've never seen before, called "Dubbing", in which a volunteer from the audience pantomimes while one of the odd Lotters provides the dialogue for the volunteer's character, like for foreign films.

"Got it. So who was in the skit?"

Well, Trick provided the voice for the volunteer. Bobbi Renee was also in it, as the 'wife'. They were on vacation in the country, Turkey, or so they had thought. LOL! Skyler was also in the skit, choosing to serve as a tour guide. He was, too - but of a turkey farm or turkey ranch or whatever you call a place where turkey fowl are raised! It was hilarious! Add in that the 'husband' was afraid of turkeys and the 'wife' had taken him there to help him get over his fear. Very funny stuff!

"How about that! Two turkeys in one skit!"

Exactly! I just laughed and laughed!

"Like you did on Saturday night? "

Yes, though maybe not for as long, as this was a much shorter show. Saturday's show was so long that it had an intermission, so it was 10:30 before it was done. I was back in the car before 9:30 tonight.

"You think maybe all of that laughter ramped up your serotonin levels so much that you couldn't get to sleep?"

Well, I think that's a pretty reasonable working hypothesis. After all, that molecule is known to be active in the central nervous system for the regulation of mood, appetite, and sleep.

"Well, look at you, still talking science!"

Oh, you betcha. Why wouldn't I be? I've been doing that for more than half my life!

"Yes, you have, my dear. Even in high school, even in the Navy, really. Electronics is scientific, too, based in physics, rather than biology or chemistry or anatomy."

Yes, ma'am! Even subconsciously, my brain still keeps working to solve puzzles, putting together bits that don't seem to have any correlation.
This amino acid is decarboxylated to form serotonin. Notice the bi-cyclic core both molecules have.

"You mean those two rings with the arm hanging off the smaller one? Yes, I see the similarity!"

Well, this amino acid - drumroll, please - is tryptophan, the amino acid purported to be responsible for causing drowsiness after consumption of turkey at Thanksgiving.

"Sure, I've always heard that! Because turkey has so much more tryptophan in it than any other meat does, right? But, wait, you used that word 'purported', like it's an urban myth or something."

Well, that's because turkey-induced sleepiness is a myth. Turkey has no more tryptophan than does chicken or beef or lamb or pork or most meats. Overeating carbohydrates, like the dressing and pies and cakes, is the true source of all that sleepiness. You can read all about it right here.
That also explains why I sleep so well when I have a little bowl of cereal before bed.
(smile)

"Wow. And you put all of this together based on the turkeys in the improv show?"

Yeah. Pretty wild, right?

"Right."

The story gets wilder. Just you wait.
I almost didn't go to the show. In fact, I'd pretty much decided to just stay home, but I could feel myself being pushed out the door.

"Right place, right time. "

Right place, right time.

"i thank You, God."

Absolutely. And because I was on fb earlier, I realized that tomorrow is Mardi Gras. Tara was talking about King Cake in the stores and I knew what that meant - paczki time was finally here again!
The show was over in plenty of time for me to run over to Publix for my fix!

"Yes, I know you love those raspberry ones. Don't forget about Mister Willie!"

Oh, don't you fret! I picked up a box of the apple ones for him and Gloria! In fact, the one box of raspberry and the one of apple was all they had left! None had been out, so I'd asked the bakery clerk about them and he came forth with them from behind the counter. Hallelujah!

"Yes, dear! I guess you've had one? "

I have... and I don't think I'll need cereal to sleep well tonight.
(smile)

"Sweets to give you sweet dreams... what a perfect end to the day! Time to say good night, dear."

(Yawn....)
Good night, dear.
(smile)