A tongue tested 9 volt battery.

One of the lingering side effects of chemotherapy is nerve damage, and bouts with nerves slowing dying off. When the nerves are going into their death spirals, they vibrate, like a cellphone on vibrate, and they send electric spikes through my muscles and along my bones. When I don't have my cell phone, I stand there and try to answer myself.  Laurie asked what the nerves shocks felt like and I told her "It's like when you put your tongue on a 9 volt battery!" Surprisingly enough, Laurie said she had never put her tongue on a 9 volt battery.  I was a little shocked by that realization, because I thought most everyone my age had put their tongues on 9 volt batteries when they were kids. It was all the rage when I was young, and, besides the fun of it, it's one way to test a 9 volt battery to see how much juice is left in it. I did a poll at the office and most of the men had put their tongues on 9 volt batteries, and about a third of the women had done it. While some of the women said, "No! That's what the boys did!" they did confess to playing with mercury. Funny that more people in my poll had played with mercury than put their tongues on 9 volt batteries. Of course, most of us tongue shockers played with mercury, also. Laurie wasn't brave enough to put her tongue on a 9 volt battery to see how my nerves feel, but Lola, Spunk and the Mad Mac all tried it.   Have you ever put your tongues on 9 volt batteries?

To lick or not to lick? That is the question!

Lola revving up her tongue for a quick lick.

"Wow! That was something."

"Hello! I love you, my shocking little Duracell."

Spunk: "You really want me to lick this thing?" Me: "Just give those two silver thingies a little snaky lick."

"Here goes."

"Whoa! You didn't tell me it would be shocking."

The Mad Mac had the same reaction as Spunk.