What a Rube

At the intersection of innovation and hilarity you'll find Rube Goldberg.

Goldberg was the master of creating complicated solutions for simple tasks. Want to wipe your face with a napkin? All you need are a couple of spoons, a cracker, parrot, cup, bucket, yardarm, lighter, rocket, sickle and a clock. 

Easy peasy.

In reality, Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist, author, engineer, sculptor and inventor who created over 50,000 cartoons. In 1948, he won the Pulitzer Prize for political cartooning.

So, why the sudden fascination with Rube Goldberg?

Mr. Ginley and I went to the Maltz Museum yesterday. They're currently hosting an exhibit celebrating Goldberg's work. Much of it was geared toward kids, with interactive Goldberg-like setups. They showed videos of others who had set up Rube Goldberg contraptions. There's even an annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest for kids 8-18 to encourage STEAM education. 

We toodled through and enjoyed the show, but it left me wanting to know more. I was most intrigued by Goldberg's cartoons that explained the step-by-step antics. There were several hilarious asides that are easy to miss of you're not paying attention. Suffice to say, I'll be looking for a book at the library. 

After we finished with the Rube Goldberg portion, we turned our attention to An American Story, the core exhibit at the Maltz. As it turned out, we spent way more time there. Mr. Ginley and I parted ways. I tend to breeze through museum exhibits, reading things that catch my eye. He reads every single thing, which means we didn't see nearly all there was to see. We'll be going back again. 

As we headed for the exit, I paused in front of one display. I'm not sure what made me stop and read. It was a plaque that talked about my friend, Rachelle's, Mom, Silvia Malcmacher. She and Rachelle's Dad were both holocaust survivors. They showed Silvia's postwar ID card and told a little about her. There was so much story in that one little photo. I know from Rachelle that she was an amazing, loving woman, a mother and grandmother who's missed every day. 

After a quick stop at the museum store where I bought a coffee cup I didn't need, we headed for lunch at Corky and Lenny's, a Jewish deli that's a Cleveland institution. It was our first experience, and they did not disappoint. Mr. had a barbecue brisket sandwich, and I had latkes. Yum!

It was definitely worthwhile schlepping to the east side of town!

Oy gevalt! Another coffee cup.