Friday, April 18, 2025

What's So Good About Good Friday?

 

Excuse me for temporarily laying aside the garment of guffahs and following in the footsteps of comic strip creator Johnny Hart by quickly explaining why today is called what today is called.

Not only am I following in his footsteps; I'm stealing his actual explanation:



Never mind that this comic strip is titled B.C. Thinking about that will turn your brain to mush.

Have a blessed Good Friday!


Friday, April 11, 2025

Rhyming Colors (Happy Birthday, Joel Grey!)

 

Tony-, Grammy-, and Oscar-winning actor and singer, Joel Grey, turns 93 today.

Joel Neither-White-nor-Black

It gets me thinking about other famous people with colorful names...


Jack Black, who is white.
Barry White, black as night.
Betty White, who died on New Year's Eve.
Then there's Pink, the singer bold
Thank you for being a friend, Andrew Gold
We've lost James Brown, so let us grieve

Red Skelton, ancient comic clown
Red Buttons, never made us frown
Two Dees and Exes for Redd Foxx
Baseball player, Vida Blue
Al Green sang of loving you
And now I've rhymed myself into a box


Friday, April 4, 2025

Bummer in the City: The 393rd Greatest Song

 

It's interesting what a person will write a song about.

In the Lovin' Spoonful's Number One hit, "Summer in the City," John Sebastian complains about how hot a summer day can be in a big city:

  • Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
  • Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city
  • Sidewalk hotter than a match head

Cooling off on a city summer day


But then the sun goes down and the fun begins:

  • Go out and find a girl
  • Cool cat looking for a kitty
  • Gonna meet you on the rooftop


But hey, fantasizing about romantic encounters is better song material than actual big-city nightlife:

Sundown, city gettin' dark
Gangs overtakin' every inch of the park
Cool cat, beefin' up the kitty
Five Card Stud being played with no pity
Got robbed waitin' at the bus stop
Running up the stairs, tryin' to hide on the rooftop


Sinatra was right: If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.


Friday, March 28, 2025

Observed Absurdities™ 72 - Is This Gluten Free?

 

Beloved and I received a wedding invitation that has thrown us for a loop.

The earliness of the invitation in relation to the date of the event is fine.

The expected level of attire and decorum is well within the boundaries of reason.

However...

The menu options...oh my...

How would you like your child prepared?

As a grandparent, I have been known to say "You're so sweet, I could just gobble you up," but I never expected to be taken seriously.


Friday, March 21, 2025

A Vegetarian's Lit Mom: Movie Title Anagrams

 

Twisting letters. Twisting plots.

  • Twelve Angry Men = Warm Gent Evenly (A dozen chefs argue how best to cook a refined man.)
  • Return of the King = Fuehrer Knotting (The final Lord of the Rings film is about Hitler's hobby during his final days.)
  • Pulp Fiction = Clip Fop Unit (Drastic surgery on an effeminate man)
  • The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly = A Tough Tho Lengthy Bad Deed (Yep, that covers it.)

This is what happens when you let AI create a graphic for "A Tough Tho Lengthy Bad Deed"
This is what happens when you let AI create a graphic for "A Tough Tho Lengthy Bad Deed"

  • Forrest Gump = Forgets Rump (And I thought MY memory was bad!)
  • The Matrix = Max Tither (Neo gives more to his church than anyone else.)
  • It's a Wonderful Life = A Definite Fowl Slur ("In the whole vast configuration of things, I'd say you were nothing but a scurvy little chicken!")
  • Saving Private Ryan = Ivy Narrates Paving (A verbal creeping vine tells the tale of building a road.)
  • Shawshank Redemption = A Sharpened Moth Winks (You only THOUGHT he dug his way out with a rock hammer.)
  • The Godfather = The Hog Farted ("Leave the gun. Take the bacon.")


Friday, March 14, 2025

Falling in...Love?: The 394th Greatest Song

 

"Can't Help Falling in Love" was given to Elvis for his movie Blue Hawaii, but it was originally written for an unproduced film, White Minnesota.

Park guides say
It's too late to skate
But I can't help falling through ice in March
Shall I stay?
Will it seal your fate
If I can't help falling through ice in March?

When the water flows
Just beneath your feet
Darling, so it goes
Plunging cannot be beat
Take my hand
Save my life, don't be harsh
For I can't help falling through ice in March


AI generated image of Elvis lookalike skating



Friday, March 7, 2025

Marriage Tip #237: Do Not Attempt to Even the Score

 

I had a laughable conversation with a friend.

He told me his wife has an...interesting...behavior pattern when they are relaxing on the couch watching a television show or movie.

3D cartoon of couple watching TV

Apparently, she feels it is necessary to point out to her husband whenever an actor she considers good-looking appears on the screen.

As in "That guy right there is good-looking. I'm just saying."

My friend wasn't sure what kind of societal catastrophe or black hole of ignorance was being avoided by her "just saying" this information.

I said I wasn't sure either, but I AM sure of something else: He would be wise to refrain from returning the favor. You know, just keep his opinions about the relative attractiveness of any given actress completely to himself.

Neither of us wanted to even think about how that exchange would go down.

Then my friend added this "ba-dum-tiss" final thought: "And the thing is. None of these so-called good-looking men look anything at all like me."