Archive for the ‘Humor’ Tag

12-30-2013 Humorous New Year’s Thoughts   2 comments

I thought today’s posting should reflect the thoughts and feelings of someone other than myself concerning the New Year and the accompanying celebrations. I’d normally throw in a few celebrity quotes about New Year’s but I’m not going to do that this year. I’ve learned over the years that the best common sense quotations are written by only one person, Anonymous.

The following collection of thoughts were collected from and written by  people who wish to remain anonymous. Being anonymous gives a person a certain amount of freedom to say what they really think and to be as sarcastic and humorous as necessary. This is the stuff I love and I think you will too.

Almost everything I could think of saying about New Year’s, the celebrations, and the big party in the Big Apple, are reflected in these anonymous thoughts. It never ceases to amaze me just how funny and insightful we humans can be.  See if you agree.

* * *

  • I do not make new year’s resolutions. The only thing I do in excess is be awesome, I’m not going to stop that in 2014.
  • I probably shouldn’t be making any new resolutions this year…mainly because I’m still working on the ones from last year.
  • Let’s kiss on New Year’s Eve 2013 as if we might have a future together in 2014.
  • Let’s resolve to repeat last year’s mistakes.
  • Here’s to ending the New Year still having a job that you still wish you didn’t have.
  • This year let’s resolve to make better bad decisions.
  • My New Year’s resolution is to stop lying to myself about making lifestyle changes.
  • I hope the world ends in 2014 so I can’t be held accountable for my New Year’s resolutions.
  • Thanks for inviting me to a New Year’s party I’ll have no recollection of attending.
  • My excuses for already failing my New Year’s resolution are more complicated than the fiscal cliff deal.
  • Let’s never speak of 2013 again.
  • May the New Year bring you significantly more joy than the holidays did.
  • My New Year’s resolution is to stop hanging out with people who ask me about my New Year’s resolutions.
  • Let’s put significant pressure on ourselves to have a fun New Year’s Eve.
  • Let’s pencil each other in for a New Year’s Eve kiss, with the understanding we’ll drop each other if someone better comes along.
  • I resolve to stop having meaningless sex in 2014, so I suggest you pay me a compliment or get me liquored up ASAP.

  • My resolution is to spend more time avoiding friends and family.
  • I want to kiss you at midnight and pork you at dawn.
  • It may be the antidepressants talking, but I’m feeling somewhat optimistic about 2014.
  • Now that the holiday blues are over, let’s resume our everyday melancholy.
  • Here’s to drinking enough that we’ll need Ryan Seacrest to help us count backwards from ten.
  • Here’s to having a fresh start at binge eating, boozing, and slacking off.
  • Lets attend an opulent New Year’s Eve party so we can briefly ignore the horror of our impending poverty.
  • Wishing you even a minuscule percentage of the wealth and attention that has been showered upon the Kardashian fetus in 2013.
  • My resolution is to get healthier while still destroying myself with alcohol and drugs.
  • I can’t believe it’s been a year since I didn’t become a better person.
  • Gaining 20 lbs over the holidays makes your New Year’s resolution of losing 10 less impressive.
  • Let’s decide which champagne we’re going to barf.
  • I always thought by 2013 we would have flying cars. Instead, we have blankets with sleeves.
  • The only thing I gained from 2013 was weight.
  • Dear God, my prayer for 2014 is a fat bank account and a thin body. Please don’t mix these up like you did this year.
  • This year, I’m just making one New Year’s resolution: Stop making resolutions. My only other resolution is to quit breaking my resolutions.

* * *

I enjoyed more than a few chuckles reading through this list and I can’t think of a thing I’d want to add. I hope your New Year’s celebration remains somewhat sane and that you return safely home in one piece.  You wouldn’t want to start 2014 with any broken bones, wrecked vehicles, or DUI’s.

Everyuselessthing will return on 01-02-2014

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!

Drink Responsibly

12-19-2013. ‘Twas Quite the Night Before   Leave a comment

Five shopping days leaves little time to do much of anything.  In keeping with the holiday I thought a little Christmas poetry was in order.  This year for me has been more than a little strange. Broken bones and weight loss were my themes this year and thankfully I found this version of “The Night Before Christmas” written for strictly for us dieters.  Enjoy!

   The Dieter’s Night Before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all round my hips
Were Fannie May candies that sneaked past my lips.
Fudge brownies were stored in the freezer with care
In hopes that my thighs would forget they were there.

While Mama in her girdle and I in chin straps
Had just settled down to sugar-borne naps.
When out in the pantry there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the kitchen I flew like a flash,
Tore open the icebox then threw up the sash.
The marshmallow look of the new-fallen snow
Sent thoughts of a binge to my body below.

When what to my wandering eyes should appear
A marzipan Santa with eight chocolate reindeer!
That huge chunk of candy so luscious and slick
I knew in a second that I’d wind up sick.

The sweet-coated Santa, those sugared reindeer
I closed my eyes tightly but still I could hear;
On Pritzker, on Stillman, on weak one, on TOPS
A Weight Watcher dropout from sugar detox.

From the top of the scales to the top of the hall
Now dash away pounds now dash away all.
Dressed up in Lane Bryant from my head to nightdress
My clothes were all bulging from too much excess.

My droll little mouth and my round little belly,
They shook when I laughed like a bowl full of jelly.
I spoke not a word but went straight to my work
Ate all of the candy then turned with a jerk.

And laying a finger beside my heartburn
Gave a quick nod toward the bedroom I turned.
I eased into bed, to the heavens I cry–
If temptation’s removed I’ll get thin by and by.

And I mumbled again as I turned for the night
In the morning I’ll starve… ’til I take that first bite!

Dieting for me isn’t quite Christmassy enough.  Many years ago I had a “friend” sent me this next version which was much more to my liking. Sex always sells so why not a sexy “Twas the Nite Before” instead of the traditional version.  Maybe on Christmas Eve I’ll sent along a copy of the original to get us all into the real Christmas spirit.  Enjoy this off-color version for now.

Night Before Sexmas

Twas the night before Christmas, and God it was neat,
The kids were both gone, and my wife was in heat.
The doors were all bolted, and the phone off the hook,
It was time for some nooky, by hook or by crook.

Momma in her teddy, and I in the nude,
Had just hit the bedroom and reached for the lube.
When out on the lawn there arose such a cry,
That I lost my boner and poor momma went dry.

Up to the window I sprang like an elf,
Tore back the shade while she played with herself.
The moon on the crest of the snowman we’d built,
Showed a broom up his ass, clean up to the hilt.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a rusty old sleigh and eight mangy reindeer.
With a fat little driver half out of his sled,
A sock in his ear, and a bra on his head.

Sure as I’m speaking, he was as high as a kite,
And he yelled to his team, but it didn’t sound right.
Whoa Shithead, whoa Asshole, whoa Stupid, whoa Putz,
Either slow down this rig or I’ll cut off your nuts.

Look out for the lamp post, and don’t hit the tree,
Quit shaking the sleigh, ’cause I gotta go pee.
They cleared the old lamppost, the tree got a rub,
Just as Santa leaned out and threw up on my shrub.

And then from the roof we heard such a clatter,
As each little reindeer now emptied his bladder.
I was donning my jacket to cover my ass,
When down the chimney Santa came with a crash.

His suit was all smelly with perfume galore,
He looked like a bum and he smelled like a whore.
“That was some brothel,” he said with a smile,
“The reindeer are pooped, and I’ll just stay here awhile.”

He walked to the kitchen, himself poured a drink,
Then whipped out his pecker and pissed in the sink.
I started to laugh, my wife smiled with glee,
The old boy was hung nearly down to his knee.

Back in the den, Santa reached in his sack,
But his toys were all gone, and some new things were packed.
The first thing he found was a pair of false tits,
The next was a handgun with a penis that spits.

A box filled with condoms was Santa’s next find,
And a six pack of panties, the edible kind.
A bra without nipples, a penis extension,
And several other things that I shouldn’t even mention.

A fuck ring, a G-string, and all types of oil,
A dildo so long, it lay in a coil.
“This stuff ain’t for kids, Mrs. Santa will shit.
So I’ll leave ’em here, and then I’ll just split.”

He filled every stocking and then took his leave,
With one tiny butt plug tucked under his sleeve.
He sprang to his sleigh, but his feet were like lead,
Thus he fell on his ass and broke wind instead.

In time he was seated, took the reigns of his hitch,
Saying, “Take me home Rudolph, this nights been a BITCH!”
The sleigh was near gone when we heard Santa shout,
The best thing about sex is that it never wears out!”

FIVE SHOPPING DAYS LEFT

12-18-2013. Journal Entry   2 comments

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Well the holiday is rushing towards us and we’re down to the last week of preparations. The weather here in Maine is certainly doing it’s part this year. It’s the eighteenth of December and we have two and a half feet of snow on the ground.  It’ll be nice to have an old style white Christmas with the trees sagging low with snow and everything feeling clean and new.  It also makes for some beautiful photography as you can see.

My leg is healing nicely but it appears I’ll need more time to get it back into shape.  I feel a little stupid hopping around with that Walter Brennan limp but what can I do.  It’s just nice to be able to walk around the house, drive my car, and to get out and do a little Christmas shopping.

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I hate to admit just how much I miss being able to use those handy electric shopping carts to do my shopping.  People are nicer to you, they get out of the way, and even let you get ahead of them in line at the register.  I’m a bit spoiled I guess.  I’ve come up with a solution for that problem though.  I’m going to start carrying the air cast and crutches in my car.  I’ll arrive at Walmart, put on the boot, grab the crutches and make my way inside to claim my cart.  That’s what I call a real emergency kit.  My luck, I’ll get caught doing it the first time.

I have a few more stocking stuffers to buy this week and my holiday prep will be complete.  Thank God for Amazon who made my Christmas so much easier to deal with this year. Shop, click, and bing, bang, boom . . .  it arrives at your house in two days.  Next year I may attempt to make it a total Amazon holiday.  I’ll first sign up for Amazon Prime which for $79.00 gives me free shipping on all purchases for a year.  Order anything and everything I need for the holidays, have it nicely wrapped, and shipped with a card to relatives and friends anywhere on the planet.  It’s called a "one click" holiday season.

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My better-half has been like a crazy person for the last few weeks but she appears to have accomplished all of her tasks and is calming down a little.  The house is just about ready for guests and family and enough beer has been purchased to keep her in that sentimental mindset which help’s her enjoy the holidays.  She’s worked very hard this year to get everything done and ready without my help and it’s looking terrific.

She and her daughter spent a good part of the day yesterday doing something they both love.  Manicures and pedicures all around.  I gave my better-half a gift certificate for two of each a few weeks ago for her birthday.  I knew it would come in handy during "crazy week".  They were pampered and lotioned until they had no choice but to be happy and smiling.  There’s nothing like a good looking guy rubbing and scrubbing your feet and waiting on you hand-and-foot.  One of these days I might be forced to give it a try myself but with a good looking woman.

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SIX MORE SHOPPING DAYS LEFT

12-17-2013 A Little Holiday Tombstone Humor   Leave a comment

It’s Tuesday and we have seven shopping days left until Christmas.  Are you stressed, pissed, and have you completely lost your sense of humor?   Well, welcome to the club.  Since Christmas has both the ability to excite and depress me I think a little darkness is necessary which fits right in with my current mindset. I’ve collected tombstone epithets for years and even took to the graveyards of Massachusetts while living there and made gravestone rubbings of some of the more interesting. They are at times poignant, heartfelt, funny,  and even sarcastic.  They do tend to get right to the point about the dearly departed who would be spinning in their graves if they ever read them.   I hope they make you smile like they do for me.

  • Here lies Lester Moore, four slugs from a 44, no Les, No More. Tombstone, Arizona
  • Of children in all she bore twenty-four: Thank the Lord there will be no more.  Canterbury, Kent, England
  • Here lies the body of John Mound, Lost at Sea and never found. Winslow, Maine
  • Here lies I, Jonathan Fry. Killed by a sky-rocket in my eye socket.  Frodsham, Cheshire, England
  • Here lies John Ross, Kicked by a horse.  Channel Islands, England
  • Here lies Jane Smith, wife of Thomas Smith, marble cutter. This monument was erected by her husband as a tribute to her memory and a specimen of his work. Monuments of the same style 350 dollars. Springdale, Ohio
  • Neglected by his doctor, ill treated by his nurse, his brother robbed the widow, which made it all the worse. Dulverton, Somerset, England
  • Stranger approach this spot with gravity; John Brown is filling his last cavity.  A Dentist
  • Beneath this stone old Abraham lies; Nobody laughs and nobody cries. Where he is gone and how he fares, Nobody knows and nobody cares.  For Abraham Newland
  • Beneath these stones repose the bones of Theodosius Grim; He took his beer from year to year, and then the beer took him.  A Beer Drinker
  • Here lies the body of our Anna, Done to death by a banana. It wasn’t the fruit that laid her low, but the skin of the thing that made her go.  Enosburg, Vermont
  • Grim Death took me without any warning, I was well at night and dead in the morning.  Sevenoaks, Kent, England

I looked up a few others in my archive since I know you all love your celebrities.  Some are cute, some lame,  but who really cares?

  • My Jesus, mercy” Al Capone
  • “The best is yet to come.”  Frank Sinatra
  • “This is the last of Earth! I am content!”  John Quincy Adams (1767 – 1848)
  • “Truth and History. 21 Men. The Boy Bandit King. He Died As He Lived. William H. Bonney ‘Billy the Kid'”  Billy the Kid (unknown)
  • “That’s all, folks!” Mel Blanc (the epitaph is the trademark line of cartoon character Porky Pig.
  • “I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.”  Winston Churchill
  • “She did it the hard way”  Bette Davis
  • “Nothing’s So Sacred As Honor And Nothing’s So Loyal As Love”  Wyatt Earp
  • “I had a lover’s quarrel with the world”  Robert Frost
  • “Hey Ram” (Translated “Oh, God”)  Mahatma Gandhi
  • “Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty I’m Free At Last.”  Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • “Workers of all lands unite. The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.”  Karl Marx
  • “Truth to your own spirit”  Jim Morrison

GET SOME REST, ONLY SEVEN SHOPPING DAYS LEFT

12-10-2013 Osama Bin Santa   Leave a comment

A few years ago I posted this story more as therapy for myself than anything else.  I suffer from a nagging case of Santa PTSB that recurs every December.  I want it to be known that I was fighting terrorism as a six year old before it became fashionable.  Each time I repost this story it helps me with my Santa issues like nothing else can.  That big fat and jolly SOB is known in our house as Osama Bin Santa and the only difference between him and other terrorists is that Santa loves victimizing young kids.  With that in mind here’s my scary and terrifying Christmas story.

As a young child my parents made every attempt to make Christmas memorable for my sister and me.  My sister was very young and I was just turning 6 years old. I still firmly believed all the stories about Santa’s elves and all the other good stuff. In the back of my young mind there was a seed of skepticism secretly growing. I was beginning to have serious doubts about Santa and my parents as well. A lot of what I was being told by my trusted family members wasn’t what I was hearing on the street (school yard). My friends had almost convinced me that the whole Santa thing was just BS and that the adults were actually the real gift givers.  It think it was at that early age that my trust issues with authority figures first began.

My parents began to suspect I was wavering and their propaganda was now falling on deaf ears. In a conspiracy involving my mother, her sister, my grandparents, and my Dad it was decided that drastic action was immediately necessary to convince me that Santa was the real deal. I’d been acting out a lot and being a little disrespectful to my elders so it was time for Santa to step in and straighten me out once and for all.

It was the week before Christmas and we were visiting my grandparents. I was being a huge pain in the ass as usual like a lot of six-year-olds can be at that time of the year. It was just after dark and I was walking through the house down a narrow hallway towards the kitchen. It was dark outside and as I passed the window I glanced over and almost had a six-year-old heart attack. There was Santa looking back at me and smiling a frightening smile. My blood turned cold and I got the hell out of there screaming all the way upstairs to hide under the bed.  My parents let me know in no uncertain terms that Santa was out looking for those children who were being good and keeping an eye on those that weren’t.  I was on the latter list, of course.

For the next few days I was a complete angel but after dark I was still nervous about looking out the windows. Santa the terrorist had accomplished his mission. I saw him again on two or three other occasions over the next two Christmases, once at our house, and again in the coal cellar at my grandparents home. Unfortunately I’d already consulted with my knowledgeable friends at the playground and I was officially a nonbeliever by then. I went along with the charade for as long as possible since my parents  were giving the gifts.  They finally had a meeting and decided I was just playing them for extra toys and my game was over.

Many years later while I was digging through an old trunk in my aunt’s bedroom I discovered where Santa had been hiding for all these many years. His retirement consisted of being tucked under a pile of sheets and pillowcases in that old trunk. My aunt laughed until she cried when I confronted her.  We relived a very special and scary Christmas memory and enjoyed the moment very much.

What I never told her or my parents was the lingering collateral damage from their actions. To this day during the Christmas season I’m careful in dark rooms and hallways and try never to look out the windows, NEVER. In the malls and stores where Santa is holding court I stay the hell away. That guy still scares the bejesus out of me. Terrorism is no joke.

12-08-2013 Christmas Journal Entry   Leave a comment

As we slowly approach Christmas Day I find a need to continue with my blogging of all things Christmas.  After the last few days of watching my better-half bake enough cookies and breads to feed an army I’m ready to scream.  Even with this broken leg my weight loss program continues and all these goodies in the house with their fantastic smells is driving me crazy.  So I decided to hide out in the man-cave and work on a few postings.  Anything to stay away from the kitchen.  I’ve lost almost thirty pounds so far and the last thing I need is a Christmas holiday season full of candies and cookies.

The first thing I’d like to pass on today are a few thoughts from past and present celebrities.  I know how most of you hang on their every word and I hope you enjoy this short look into their thought processes.

  • ‘I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included.’ Bernard Manning
  • ‘I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six.  Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.’ Shirley Temple
  • ‘A Christmas shopper’s complaint is one of long-standing.’ Anonymous
  • ‘Santa Claus wears a Red Suit, he must be a communist. And a beard and long hair, must be a pacifist.  What’s in that pipe that he’s smoking?’
    Arlo Guthrie
  • Why is Christmas just like a day at the office?
    You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit.
    Anonymous
  • ‘Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people once a year.’  Victor Borge
  • ‘The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C.  This wasn’t for any religious reasons. T hey couldn’t find three wise men and a virgin.’ Jay Leno
  • ‘Merry Christmas, Nearly Everybody!’ Ogden Nash
  • Anyone who believes that men are the equal of women has never seen a man trying to wrap a Christmas present. Anonymous

Next I offer you a few Christmas movie quotes.  I live in a family obsessed with remembering movie quotes.  Having a conversation with them and not being a movie expert makes communicating difficult at times.  These quotes are for them and anyone else who’s interested.

  • Aren’t we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas?
    You know… the birth of Santa.
    Bart Simpson
  • Snowman: Did you hear about the church that burned down?
    Statler, Waldorf: Holy smoke!  Muppet Movie
  • Doris: Would you please tell her that you’re not really Santa Claus, that there actually is no such person?
    Kris Kringle: Well, I hate to disagree with you, but not only is there such a person, but here I am to prove it.
    ‘Miracle on 34th Street’
  • Look, Daddy. Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.  It’s A Wonderful Life
  • Charlie, stay away from those things. They’re reindeer, you don’t know where they’ve been. They all look like they’ve got key lime disease.
    The Santa Clause Movie
  • Rats. Nobody sent me a Christmas card today. I almost wish there weren’t a holiday season. I know nobody likes me. Why do we have to have a holiday season to emphasize it? A Charlie Brown Christmas

I’m not a fan of watching Christmas movies which puts me immediately in the minority.  It seems everyone’s Christmas memories include one or two “special” movies that they enjoyed as kids.  I stumbled on a website recently that listed the following movies as the Ten Best Christmas Movies ever.  I can honestly say I haven’t seen more than three of the movies on their list.  They may be right but I’m not the guy to make that call.  It does seem a little odd that there are no mentions made of any recent movies like “Home Alone” or “Christmas Vacation” with Chevy Chase.  Just a thought from a non-Christmas movie person.

Christmas In Connecticut (1945) – Barbara Stanwyck
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) – Frank Capra [Best Christmas Movie]
Miracle On 34th Street (1947) – Kris Kringle
Scrooge (1951) – Alistair Sim
White Christmas (1954) – Bing Crosby Classic
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol
A Christmas Story (1883) – Bob Clark
Joyeux Noel (2005) – WW1 Football Game in the Trenches
Olive the Other Reindeer

I think that’ll do it for today.  If you have any suggestions on improving that movie list feel free to say so and I’ll post your changes.

16 SHOPPING DAYS LEFT

12-06-2013 More Beer Trivia   2 comments

My better-half has an addiction. It’s one of those addictions that isn’t one that is so terrible that rehab becomes an issue.  Her addiction is more like being madly in love rather than addicted.   I kid her about it a lot but it’s always in good, clean fun. I dedicate this posting to her and the huge garbage bag of bottle caps she’s been saving for the last thirty years. At this rate we may have enough to build her a small drinking establishment made completely of bottle caps.  If we do build something like that I think it should look something like this so all of her male friends, family, and co-workers can be totally comfortable.

 bestbar

Now let’s get started with a list of some of her most favorite topics which are always beer related.

* * *

The ’33’ on a bottle of Rolling Rock was originally a printer’s error. It refers to the 33 words in the original slogan. It has generated enough mystery over the years that the company left it in the label.

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. “Wet your whistle” is the phrase inspired by this practice.

In the Czech Republic, beer is cheaper than Coke. A half liter at the local pub costs just 30 cents (10.50 CZK) while a half liter of Coke costs 85 cents (30 CZK). Beer is a little more expensive than club soda (which costs 29 cents, or 10 CZK, for a half liter).

A labeorphilist is a collector of beer bottles.

A tegestologist is a collector of beer mats.

A flood of beer swept through the streets of St. Giles, England, on 17 October 1814. Caused by a rupture in a brewery tank containing 3500 barrels of beer, the tidal wave killed nine people and demolished two houses.

The first six-pack of beer was produced by the Pabst Brewery in the 1940s. The brewery conducted numerous studies, which found six cans were the ideal weight for the average housewife to carry home from the store.

In eleventh-century England, a bride would distribute ale to her wedding guests in exchange for donations to the newlyweds. This brew, known as Bride Ale, is the origin of the word ‘bridal’.

One method of checking a beer’s quality is the way in which the foam adheres to the side of the glass after each sip. Beer connoisseurs call this “Brussels lace.”

In 1888 citizens of Munich took to the streets and rioted after a beer price increase was announced.

Czechs drink the most beer in the world per capita – an average of 160 liters a year per person.

In merry old England, town inns paid a government tax known as a ‘scot’ for serving beer. Beer lovers who left town to drink at rural pubs were said to be drinking ‘scot free’.

Beer recipes have been found on Babylonian clay tablets from over 6000 years ago.

Guinness sells an average of 7 million glasses a day.

The British Army supplied its men with a cash allowance for beer, considered a vital nutritional staple on long overseas missions. With this allowance of one penny, soldiers enjoyed six pints of ale every day.

In Egypt, two containers of beer were the minimum wage for a day’s labour.
Beer was often served for breakfast in medieval England.

It was customary in the 13th century to baptize children with beer.

A barrel contains 31 gallons of beer. What Americans commonly refer to as a keg is actually 15.5 gallons, or a half-barrel.

The Budweiser Clydesdales weight up to 2,300 pounds and stand nearly 6 feet at the shoulder.

12 oz. of a typical American pale lager actually has fewer calories than 2 percent milk or apple juice.

The world’s strongest beer is ‘Samuel Adams’ Triple Bock, which has reached 17% alcohol by volume. To obtain this level, however, they had to use champagne yeast.

The oldest known written recipe is for beer.

* * *

This posting should kick off her holiday celebration  this year.  I’ll be helping her stock up on her beer inventory because the worst thing that can happen is for her to run out too early.  We’ll have to search diligently for a proper beer that’s special enough to be left out for Santa.  To hell with that milk and cookies nonsense.  In this house it’s beer and pretzels.

Little does she know that I was awake last Christmas eve when she slid quietly out of bed and drank all of Santa’s beer.  My parents couldn’t fool me with the milk and cookies scam and she needs to know she can’t either.  On top of everything else I hate waking up Christmas morning with a bed full of salt and pretzel chunks.  They can hurt!

12-05-2013 Christmas Letters to Santa   Leave a comment

I decided that continuing my Christmas theme this month is important.  I spent a few minutes yesterday just reading nothing but the headlines from the Drudge Report and if that doesn’t depress you, you’re a better and stronger person than I.  I’ve been reading that site for years and I have to admit it’s a real downer most of the time.

In recent days I’ve slowly been developing a little of the good old kind of Christmas spirit I had as a kid.  The tree has been decorated and the lights strung and my better-half has covered every surface of every piece of furniture in the house with Santa statues and assorted Christmas knick-knacks.  We’re shopping hard, wrapping presents, and preparing packages for shipment to various family members located around the country.  It takes a while for me to get with the Christmas program but eventually I do.

It’s meant to be a happy time so with that in mind here’s a little Santa humor to start your day.

* * *

It was coming up to Christmas and Sammy asked his mother if he could have a new bike. She told him that the best idea would be to write to Santa Claus. But Sam, having just played a vital role in the school nativity play, said he would prefer to write to the baby Jesus. So his mother told him that would be fine.

Sam went to his room and wrote, ‘Dear Jesus, I have been a very good boy and would like to have a bike for Christmas.’

But he wasn’t very happy when he read it over. So he decided to try again and this time he wrote: ‘Dear Jesus, I’m a good boy most of the time and would like a bike for Christmas.’

He read it back and wasn’t happy with that one either. He tried a third version: ‘Dear Jesus, I could be a good boy if I tried hard and especially if I had a new bike.’

He read that one too, but he still wasn’t satisfied.So, he decided to go out for a walk while he thought about a better approach. After a short time he passed a house with a small statue of the Virgin Mary in the front garden. He crept in, stuffed the statue under his coat, hurried home and hid it under the bed. Then he wrote this letter.

‘Dear Jesus, If you want to see your mother again, you’d better send me a new bike.’

* * *

Are you smiling?  Good!  Now I’ll pass along a selection of kid’s letters to Santa that should keep that smile on your face for the rest of the day. I have to admit I have no memories of writing letters to Santa as a kid but I wish I had. Being able to read them after so many years would have been great fun. Here we go.

  • Dear Santa,
    Please give me a doll this year. I would like her to eat, walk, do my homework, and help me clean my room.
    Thank you, Jenny
  • Dear Santa,
    Thanks for the race car last year. Can I have another one, only this time one that is faster than my best friend’s race car?
    Ricky
  • Dear Father Christmas,
    I wish you could leave a puzzle under the tree for me. And a toy for my sister. Then she won’t want to play with mine and I can have it to myself.
    Merry Christmas, Cassie
  • Dear Santa,
    You can send me one of everything from the boys’ section of the Sears catalogue. But nothing from the girls’ section. I can’t wait for Christmas to come.
    Kent
  • Dear Pere Noel,
    Could you come early this year? I’ve been really super good, but I don’t know if I can last much longer. Please hurry.
    Love, Jordan
  • Dear Santa,
    I lost my list of toys, so please just send me the stuff that you forgot from last year.
    Todd
  • Dear Father Christmas,
    What should I leave for your reindeer to eat? Do they like cookies, too? My mom won’t let me bring hay into the living room.
    Your friend, Sandy
  • Dear Santa,
    I need a new skateboard for Christmas. The one I got now crashes too much. Band-aids would be OK too.
    David
  • Dear Santa,
    Would you rather I leave you cookies and milk or pizza? Dad says you’d probably like the pizza. Write back right away to let me know.
    Love, Lisa
  • Dear Kris Kringle,
    Please give me a tank, a jet fighter, 20 green soldiers, and a bazooka gun. I’m planning a surprise attack on my brother. So don’t tell anyone.
    Thanks, Danny
  • Dear Santa,
    How will you get into our house this year? We don’t have a chimney and my father just installed a very expensive security system.
    Julie
  • Dear Santa,
    Mommy says that you only bring presents for the good little boys. That isn’t fair.
    Brian
  • Dear Santa,
    How old are you? How did you meet Mrs. Claus? Is your first name really Santa? Can I be an elf next year? Who is your favorite kid? How do you fit all those toys in your sleigh? I have more questions for later.
    Your pal, Pauline
  • Dear Father Christmas,
    My mother told me to write to you and say thanks for the train set. My dad plays with it all the time.
    Mike

I’m not sure when or where the tradition of writing these Santa letters began. The following article was released to the public  in 2011 after being written in 1910. The list of items reveals the age of the letter and I’m still not totally sure what some of these items actually are.

* * *

Hannah Howard’s Christmas letter was hidden and lost in a chimney for years. The ghost of Christmas 100 years past arrived early for a County Down, Northern Ireland man when he discovered the “Santa letter” his late mother wrote when she was a girl.

The scorched letter was dated Christmas Eve 1911 and had been up a chimney in a Dublin house for decades. Victor Bartlem’s mother, Hannah Howard, had written her Christmas wish list when she was just 10 years old.

It was first discovered in 1992 when the current house owner John Byrne installed central heating. He came upon Hannah’s letter in the chimney and decided to keep it as a memento of times past. He made it public in 2011 in the Irish Times and it was there that Victor – living more than 100 miles away in Bangor, County Down, read about it.

Here is  that list written over a hundred years ago.

A baby doll.
A waterproof with a hood.
A pair of gloves and a toffee apple.
A gold penny and a silver sixpence.
A long toffee.

Hannah was born on Christmas Day 1900 and she died in 1978.

* * *

The items requested then appear to be very basic and far less demanding than our modern day equivalents.  If you have young children or grandchildren, take a few minutes and let them write a letter to Santa.  Then hide them away for twenty or more years.  What better gift could you give the authors than a look back to their childhoods.  They’ll love it.

11-30-2013 Journal Entry – Help, I’m Being Held Prisoner!   Leave a comment

Did anyone every tell you the story about getting a message in a fortune cookie that said “Help me, I’m being held prisoner in a Chinese fortune cookie factory.” I’ve had a few people try that on me over the years and never thought it was all that funny.  It’s still not funny especially now when I’m the guy who’s the prisoner.

It’s now been five weeks since I broke my damn leg and I’ve got to tell you the novelty of walking on crutches with a big clunky cast is long over.  The only thing worse than breaking your leg is that you’re then being forced to walk with crutches.  Crutches are the devil’s way of paying us back for all the bad things we’ve done in our life.

Being totally immobilized is the worst.  I found I wasn’t able to do much of anything when on those effing crutches. I had to request my better-half to do everything because I had no ability to carry things from place to place.  I tried with a cup of coffee but on my first attempt I spilled a large portion of really hot coffee directly onto my cat who insists on running between my legs every time I stand up.  I’ll bet he won’t do that again.

So after a period of time I had to come up with some way of doing things on my own without any help.  It wasn’t as easy as it sounds.  I brought my wheeled computer chair from my man-cave to the upstairs and  then using my crutches like oars was able to go into the kitchen, prepare a snack, and then paddle my way back to the living room.  It was a moderately successful idea until I pushed too hard with one crutch, lost my balance, and flipped over.  The food tasted kind of funny after I scrapped it off the floor and part of the wall and there was no way I could save the coffee.  It amazes me just how large an area a medium sized cup of coffee can cover when tossed across the kitchen.  It took me a long time to get it all cleaned up crawling around on my hands and knees and cursing a blue steak.  It was time for a better idea.

I found an old jacket with a few large pockets and was finally able to pack the pockets full of goodies including my hot cup of coffee in a sealable travel mug. I was saved.  Do you know you can carry bacon, eggs and toast folded up in between two paper plates and tucked into a partially zipped up jacket.  I may be forced to come up with a few new recipes and packaging ideas for foods to be used by crutch handicapped people.  That ideas a little out there even for me so I’ll save it for another day.

I  now have the time to sit and design my other new idea, a Handy Dandy Crutch Caddy.  Two really well designed saddlebags that can be attached to the lower part of the crutches.  I could make one of the pockets insulated so the food remains hot during transport.  Maybe I’ll throw in a wi-fi antenna for the on-the-go one-legged computer nerds out there. It’s a good project for me since I have a few more weeks of this nonsense to deal with and if I don’t stay mentally busy I will lose my effing mind.

Help, I’m being held prisoner.

11-26-2013 More Useless Information   2 comments

I think you all need another dose of this blogs specialty, Useless Information. After working all day at the office or as a homemaker your head is filled with numbers, To-Do lists, and nasty thoughts about your boss or other co-workers.  Even though your mind is racing with all this stuff it’s now my job to slow things down, make you smile, and begin the relaxation process that’s so badly needed by us all.

These facts are sometimes funny but always interesting and I forward them along to you because I feel your mental well being is now my responsibility. Pour yourself a beer or glass of wine, put your feet up, turn on some mellow music and just relax.  Unwind totally, pet the dog or cat, kiss the kids, and a big wet one for your spouse.  Here they are:

  • Elvis Presley’s favorite amusement park ride was the bumper cars.
  • Albert Einstein slept 10 hours a night.
  • The game of badminton was once called “poona”.
  • Some obsessed fan paid $14,000.00 for the bra worn by Marilyn Monroe in the move Some Like It Hot.
  • Sammy Davis Jr. was originally known professionally as “Silent Sam, the Dancing Midget.”
  • About a quarter of the oxygen in your blood is used by the brain.
  • Sigmund Freud had a morbid fear of ferns.
  • According to mathematicians, the billionth digit of pi is 9.
  • Millie the White House pet dog earned more than four times as much as her owner, President Bush, in 1991.
  • Astronaut Buzz Aldrin claims to have been the first man to “piss in his pants on the moon.”
  • There are more plastic flamingos in the United States than real ones.
  • Alexander the Great was buried in a vat of honey.
  • The Hundred Years War lasted 116 years.
  • In 1992 Lee Harvey Oswald’s cadaver tag was sold at auction for $6,600.
  • The average U.S. student attends school 180 days; in China, it’s 251 days.
  • 40% of people killed from falling off a horse are drunk.
  • Most of the villains in the Bible have red hair.
  • You can make 11 1/2 omelets with one ostrich egg.
  • Captain Kangaroo won five Emmy awards.
  • Sherlock Holmes kept his tobacco in the toe of a Persian slipper.

There, do you feel more relaxed now.  I certainly hope so.  There’ll be more of this useless information coming your way very soon.