HIGH LIFE : Summertime Living by Rule of Thumb

“A rule of thumb is a homemade recipe for making a guess,” writes Tom Parker in his book of compilations, “Rules of Thumb 2.”

“It is an easy-to-remember guide that falls somewhere between a mathematical formula and a shot in the dark.

“A rule of thumb is not a tool. Pull a good one out of your hat and--abracadabra--you turn information you have into information you need.

“Frankly,” Parker writes, “I can’t say that all of these rules of thumb work. Some would be pretty hard to test. Consider these a treasury of private inventions that work for the people who sent them in.”

Here are some examples that are more appropriate to summertime activities:

--Elsbeth Cates, writer, Rising Star, N.D., in New Age Journal

--Ned Frederick, writer, Exeter, N.H.

--M.J.T. Ferguson, retired taxi driver, Narberth, Penn.

--Bruce Reznick, associate professor of mathematics, Urbana, Ill.

--Reznick

--Dean Sheridan, Downey, Calif.

--Drs. Kim and Jack Arthur,

child psychotherapists, Baltimore

--Donna Salyers, Cincinnati Enquirer

The Marina High School varsity song leaders, who won the Miss Drill Team competition at Magic Mountain and the Pompon National Championship at Disneyland Hotel in the spring, will travel to Japan July 20-Aug. 2 for the world championships.

Participating are Cheante Boller, Jennifer Daza, Jane Mun, Sarah Pirch, Sherry Quayle, Amber Reddick and Peppy Say.

The trip will include a week of international competition followed by a week of touring and performing.

“The first human being who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.”

--Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)