"FAWLTY TOWERS"

Since I'm trying to simplify and clear out some of my stuff, I went against my rules when I bought the DVD of the two seasons of Fawlty Towers. I have the video, but what good is it without a video player? What can I say? I missed the gang at FT, which I think is the funniest TV series ever. FT never disappoints and always rewards with belly laughs and "I'd better take a pee break" moments.

Somehow, I thought there were more than two seasons, but I was mistaken. I love Monty Python, but it's more intellectual than FT, and, apparently, farce and pratfall humor strikes my funny bone the hardest.

I may have a bit of Basil in me. My filters control my Basil most of the time, but sometimes he slips out. I can think of several moments when the filters failed me. He is such a snob that he deserves everything he gets, but, in the end, I feel for him anyway.

The DVD includes interviews with the writers, actors, and director of the series. The character of Basil is based on a the owner of a hotel where the cast stayed during the filming of Monty Python.

WHY ABRAHAM LINCOLN LAUGHED

Why Lincoln Laughed:

Basically a melancholy man, he was not humor's slave, and could therefore bend it to his own uses and make it a vehicle for thought rather than mere clownishness.

This was misunderstood at the time, and once in the dark days of the war, when Lincoln was reprimanded for his unseemly levity, he turned his gaunt face and tragic eyes toward his critic and replied, "I laugh because I must not cry; That's all - that's all."

Since the election and inauguration (which I did not watch) of Donald Trump, I'm slowly making my way out of despair to determination to resist. I can't do a lot, but I will do what I can. There's nothing wrong with having a little fun along the way, and we can count on Stephen Colbert and many others to make us laugh.

"OKAY, SO LOOK" - A HUMOROUS RETELLING OF "GENESIS"

Several months ago, a friend named Paul paid us a quick and most enjoyable overnight visit. Before he left, Paul gave me a copy of Okay, So Look by Micah Edwards. The book is a humorous retelling of the the Book of Genesis, the first book in the Hebrew Testament. Edwards describes himself:

I'm a lifelong agnostic Jew, an aberrant Discordian, and a student of human nature. I've got an abiding interest in religion and the way it has shaped our world.

Is the book irreverent? Indeed, it is. Is it funny? Hilarious. I smiled and sometimes laughed out loud as I read each short chapter in the book, which I highly recommend.

Edwards again:

I hope you've enjoyed reading this book, and I hope that it's helped you view Genesis in a more playful light. The Bible is full of fantastic stories, and it's a shame so many people miss out on them because they've heard  the book is just a collection of boring lessons sandwiched between tedious lists of begats. Nothing could be further from the truth! It's a collection of entertaining, bizarre and colorful stories sandwiched between the tedious lists of begats.

Edwards is also a stand-up comedian.

WHY BERNIE SANDERS IS ACTUALLY WINNING

I couldn't resist.

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!

 

Ha ha.  Where, indeed? 

From nakedpastor.

IT'S STILL CHRISTMAS - DAY 4 - PRE-CHRISTMAS VIEW FROM THE SUPERMARKET

Not silver bells

Silver Knells
(don’t take it too seriously … really) Marthe G. Walsh

Hurry scurry, festive flurry,
 with a holiday flare,
extra effort to make all things pretty,
divine presence or just nonsense,
 we could all use a break,
and a pause from that app meant to sell …

scented cones, plum-ey scones,
   it’s profit time at the groc’ry,
jing-a-ling, cashiers sing,
   seasonal overtime pay.

In the kitchen, there’s fried chicken
   and twelve turkeys prepared
for the shoppers too stressed for home cooking;
see the carts roll, truffle tart stroll,
   toddlers making a scene,
and around all a myth mingling spell …

 scented cones, plum-ey scones,
   it’s profit time at the groc’ry,
jing-a-ling, cashiers sing,
   seasonal overtime pay.

On the flat roof, there’s no real proof,
 of an elvish night flight,
just a sale sign with icicles jolly;
the menorah’s in the lobby
   near the Kwanza display,
and the waft through packed aisles you might smell …

scented cones, plum-ey scones,
   it’s profit time at the groc’ry,
jing-a-ling, cashiers sing,
   seasonal overtime pay.

Time for a humor break.  Thanks, Marthe.

OOPS!

PONDERISMS

1. I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

2. There are two kinds of pedestrians...the quick and the dead.

3. Life is sexually transmitted.

4. Healthy is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

5. The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

6. Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

7. Have you noticed since everyone has a cell phone these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

8. Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

9. All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

10. How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

11. Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out"?  Hmm...  I have the same question about eggs.

12. If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?

13. Do illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup?

14. Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

15. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

I may have published a number of the ponderisms before, but a few were new to me and made me laugh out loud.

FLEAS NAVIDOG

It's way too early, but anyway...

HANDY CONVERSIONS

For those who thought the hardest part of Physics 101 was
the constant conversion from feet and inches to the metric
system, including all its Newtons, Joules, and Watts, here
are some other useful conversions:

Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter:
Eskimo Pi

2000 pounds of Chinese soup:
Won ton

1 millionth of a mouthwash:
1 microscope

Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement:
1 bananosecond

Weight an evangelist carries with God:
1 billigram

Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour:
Knot-furlong

365.25 days of drinking low-calorie beer because it's less
filling:
1 lite year

16.5 feet in the Twilight Zone:
1 Rod Serling

Half of a large intestine:
1 semicolon

1000 pains
1 kiloahurtz

Basic unit of laryngitis:
1 hoarsepower

From Doug.  I have more, which I will publish later.

THANKSGIVING MUSICAL HUMOR

GOLF VOCABULARY LESSON

A schoolteacher was taking her first golf lesson.

When she got to the green, she asked the instructor, "Please tell me:  Is the word spelled p-u-t or p-u-t-t?"

"P-u-t-t is correct," he replied. "Put means to place a thing where you want it.  Putt means merely a vain attempt to do the same thing."


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

THE CLIMATE NAME CHANGE

This Is Probably The Funniest, Most Effective Way To Deal With People Who Ignore Science Facts Ever

There are members of Congress [and governors] who don't understand or accept basic science concepts. This hilarious video is dedicated to them.

Where's our boy Bobby Jindal?  Surely his name is next on the list.

From Upworthy.

YES, I DO

 

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

TIMELY

 

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

"SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK"

"Silver Linings Playbook" is one of the craziest, funniest, and, at the same time, one of the most intelligent and touching movies I've seen in a long time. All the way through the film, I rooted for the characters, as one or more of them skirt the edge in imminent danger of going over and having to go to prison or into a mental health facility. Although I wanted them to succeed in spite of the odds against them, in their out-of-control moments, I wondered if a couple of them truly were too dangerous to be loose on the streets.  The mental health challenges included bipolar disorder, sex addiction, and OCD. 

The suspense as to whether the characters in the film would continue to roam free kept me on the edge of my seat till the very end. The poignant thread which weaves through the story, of the wounded helping the wounded to heal, moved me greatly.

The movie was nominated for and won many awards, including  the Academy Award for Best Actress to Jennifer Lawrence for her excellent performance as Tiffany.  Bradley Cooper, as Pat, skillfully navigates his way through the bipolar character's rapid personality changes, and Robert De Niro shines in his portrayal of Pat's obsessive-compulsive disordered father.   Pat's mother Dolores (Jacki Weaver), the loving and compassionate enabler to the eccentric family members, plays her role often wide-eyed, shocked, and stricken by the mayhem around her.  All the characters endeared themselves to me in their own wonderful ways.  I applaud all involved in making the marvelous film.

JESUS ON TOAST

As they say on Facebook: Like.

Thanks to Penelopepiscopal.

MEDICAL ALPHABET

 

About right.

LARYNGOSPASMS - "ANOTHER CASE YOU WANT TO DO"

Out(sic) latest video will resonate with anyone who has ever worked in an operating room. It's well into the night, you've already done a boatload of cases and you just want to get done and go home. And then the surgeon tells you he's found another one...

Doctor, doctor, say it's not true
You've gotta, 'nother case you wanna do
Already worked halfway through the night
You've gotta, 'nother case you wanna do

Never have I worked in an operating room, but I have been a patient in the operating room. For more reasons than one, I guess it's a good thing we patients are mostly knocked out during the procedures. :-)

TOMORROW

 

True for me.