The Brain

I was thinking about this organ in our body called the human brain and how it functions. I thought I wanted to  write about that idea. I wanted to gather some words together and think it through.  Then I wrote the title to the blog..  "The Brain". 

This, of course, made me think of one of my all time favorite cartoon characters: The Brain- featured on an animated television series called Annimaniacs.

Pinky and the Brain are experimental white rats living their life caged in a Laboratory. Pinky is incredibly naive and stupid while the Brain (the shorter Alpha rat who sounds like Orson Wells) makes plans every night to use his superior intellect to conquer the world. The Brain is voiced by my friend and announcer for "Jay Johnson: The Two and Only", the incredibly talented Maurice La Marsh.  I was a huge fan of the show even before I met Maurice. 

Pinky and the Brain's  trademark phrase is.... "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pinky?"....  the proper answer to Brain's question should be.... "Yes Brain, we can take over the world."  However, Pinky would always come back with the most obscure and unexpected answer. It always started with... "I think so Brain... but".  

There were hundreds of brilliantly written comebacks; this one immediately comes to mind.

My "Pinky and the Brain" 
action figures. 

Brain: Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pinky?

Pinky: I think so Brain... but if Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares.... why does he keep doing it?

(If you have a favorite Pinkyism write it to me in the comment section.  I would love to collect them all)

The Brain is obviously the perfect name for an evil genius who has been genetically engineered with lab experiments to possess genius level intelligence; while Pinky, just seemed like a random name for the stupid partner.  Not so.  It could be the most brilliant name for a character, like Pinky, that has ever been conceived.

We'll return to how the human brain functions in just a moment... but to explain Pinky I have to digress.

Just as there are "feeder" fish for purchase at the pet store other animals are sold as "natural nutrition" as well.  Those who keep snakes as pets buy small rodents as food for the reptile.  To quote the rabbit breeder in a Michael Moore documentary... "You want a Pet or Meat." She would either sell a rabbit as a beloved pet, or kill and dress it for your dinner. 

So.. okay back to snakes, some snakes are small and need smaller mice to feed on.  The pet store is there to supply all your pet needs. They sell baby mice as meat for the pet snake. Since these mice have not grown hair yet... they are called Pinkies.

Pinky, a rodent that was meant to become food, is pared with The Brain, a rodent who has been given superior intelligence. Perfect names, perfect casting for a cartoon sitcom.  

All of these memories came to me because I typed two words, THE BRAIN, at the top of an electronic page or it is a post. I guess technically it would be a title to a blog post.
Oh and about this organ in our body called the brain.  This is how it functions. 

This whole blog has been a narrative example of how the brain functions.  Every where in your brain are areas containing billions of insignificant bits of information. One stimulation, one phrase, one smell, one sound, two words, anything can trigger the assembly of billions of these bits into a complete memory. Thousands of small areas of your brain fire up with a sequence of random information signals that are compiled in sort of a singly unified report. This happens millions of times faster than a computer using an electrical energy we don't comprehend. What does all that energy and effort your brain goes through mean? Is it just wasted activity? Wasted energy? What are we supposed to do with a thought like that? And where does it go?

As for me.... it all goes right here.  Where ever this is.

As you were,

Jay...the other one