We live in an age of forgetting.
blogathon
Last post
Oct 30th
Well, that’s it.
It was around 6:00 this morning, when I already started to get tired, that I realized this was a really, really dumb idea. Trying to write comedy for 24 hours straight is something I cannot do. The last all-new post I wrote was at 3:00 p.m. It was also around then that this exercise started becoming laborious, almost to the point where I was dreading having to post.
It’s hard to complain though as this exercise was of my own volition. I can’t say I’m glad I did this, or would do it again, but I do thank you all for reading. And, also, one last thing:
I really doubt that I’m going to post tomorrow.
Goodnight.
Looking up a word in a dictionary for people who stutter
Oct 30th
“Does potatoes have three p’s or for?”
My creative faculties fizzled out hours ago. My last six posts have been patched together from the arms and limbs of previous pieces scattered on my hard drive. It’s been fun reading my old writing and seeing what parts of it hold up. For many of the pieces I had forgotten I had wrote them.
In fact, this is the last half-decent one I could find on my hard drive. I’m not sure it’s funny, but it’s the closest I’ve got right now.
Fun Games To Play in Stores
Home Depot
YOU: Excuse me. Do you have a boss smasher?
EMPLOYEE: A what?
YOU: A boss smasher. You know, metal head, wooden handle, good for smashing things.
EMPLOYEE: You mean a hammer?
YOU: Yeah, that’ll do.
Giant
YOU: Do you have any rotten produce?
GROCER: We don’t carry rotten produce in this store.
YOU: [very glum] Oh.
Safeway
YOU: Can you hand me a tomato?
GROCER: Here you go.
[Put tomato in pants.]
YOU: Can you hand me another tomato?
[repeat]
Partying Tired of Being Forced in Parentheses
Oct 29th
At a press conference yesterday, the partying part of Kiss’s “I Want To Rock and Roll All Night (and Party Every Day)” complained about its subordinate status.
“Don’t get me wrong,” said the currently parenthetical expression. “I realize the importance of rock and roll as much as anyone else. Partying could not exist without rock and roll. But like the bee and the flower, rock and roll would have no reason to exist without partying. It is a symbiotic relationship warped by derogatory semantics.”
Rock and roll, a long-time friend of partying, was lukewarm to the proposal. “Dude. Like, I don’t know. I mean, like, I’m first, you know? Dude.”
Partying, known for its planning and organizational abilities, offered several solutions:
* Change song title to “I Wish to Party and Rock and Roll All Day and Night, Together in Harmony.”
* Print partying and rock part on top of each other, hire Tibetan monks who can read both parts simultaneously as DJs.
* During prime partying season (summer), use “I Want to Party All Day (and Rock and Roll All Night). Winter, rock and rock part first. Wrestle for rights to spring and fall.
Oops
Oct 29th
I just realized I managed to screw this joke up two ways:
“The 2003 Pancake City Halloween Blog-A-Thon Spectacular with Rockets and Jelly Beans will take place from Wednesday 12:00 a.m. EST to Thursday 2:59 a.m. MST.”
My intent was to state the 11:59 p.m. EST finish time for a different time zone, so it’s still 24 hours but doesn’t look that way. Funny, huh? But one, I miscalculated the difference between MST and EST–it’s two hours, not three–and two, I went in the wrong direction. Two o’clock EST is twelve o’clock MST, not the other way around as I originally thought.
In other words, this incident is an excellent example of why you should sell your soul to me, not Satan. Do you think Satan would let you get off a few hours early for a boo-boo? No way. He’s Satan. Making people work longer is what he, and by proxy, managers do.
Lab Rat for Hire
Oct 29th
(from an unfinished essay I started months ago)
In “Pretty Woman,” Julia Roberts plays a hooker who tells Richard Gere she has one restriction: “No kissing.” Everyone has their “no kissing.” Mine is being injected with radiated dye.
Which is a choice that, during a brief stint as a lab rat for hire (Have Vein, Will Travel), I came across often. The higher pay for these studies reminded me not of a great opportunity but hazard pay, and that’s where I had to draw a courageous line: no radiation or radiation-related products, including “radiated cookies” and “Dr. Spock’s Radiated Fun Time Machine.”
Radiated dye inspired a gruesome fantasy of Al Sharpton protesting outside the hospital I’m incapacitated in, shouting, “If the dye is harmless, why is he armless?” and “This is a nation, not a radiation.” I have eaten more than my share of Twinkies as a child. Enough is enough.
Halloween Costume Ideas
Oct 29th
Costume Ideas for Halloween
Halloween is more than candy. It’s a chance to ignore the social norms that normally govern our lives. To push the boundaries of taste and acceptability further than you can push them the other 364 days a year. In short, if you’re dressing up as a ghost or a pirate, you’re wasting your one chance to be an oyster that can pop pearls out of places pearls usually don’t pop.
And that place is a Nerf gun. But if a pearl-popping oyster isn’t your idea of a good time (freak), one of these costumes is sure to do the trick.
Reverse Santa Claus–Don a blue Santa Claus costume. When you enter the room, say “Oh, oh oh!” and take gifts, like candlesticks, jewelry, and wallets. When people express reservations about what you’re doing, wink at them and says, “Oh oh oh! Would there be a twinkle in my eye if I were really stealing these items? Oh oh oh!” Then flee to Mexico.
SpongeBox–Based on the Nickelodeon cartoon “SpongeBob,” the SpongeBox costume is sure to delight both children and adults. SpongeBox is an old man in a cardboard box giving himself sponge baths.
“Bitch”–You know that really annoying person in your life who complains about everything, criticizes your looks, and tries to sleep with your boyfriend? Convince her to dress up as a witch. Then follow her around with a megaphone and yell, “Look, it’s a bitch!”
Jiggolow–Dress as a Chippendale’s dancer. When people ask, “Are you a gigolo?” respond, “No, I’m a jigg-o-low–cause the jiggling’s down low!” Then drop a hamster down your pants.
That Guy–You know that guy who was, like, in Short Circuit, and then he starred in that baby movie with those two other guys? Dress like him.
Popeye the Siamese Sailor Man–Get a friend. One of you is dressed as a sailor. The other just likes spinach.
The Great Beardini–Three weeks before Halloween, stop shaving. Don a black veil. On Halloween, remove your veil and say, “Ta da!”
Magic Breasts Woman–Construct a pair of fake breasts that can be controlled remotely. When a man ogles your chest, slowly move your breasts together until they pass each other and switch positions. Then get a friend to slap the guy on the back, permanently making him cross-eyed.
T-Shirto–Wear dozens of T-shirts over your body: legs, arms, torso, and naughty bits. Don a red cap, or a garbage bag if you’re going ghetto. When people ask you what you are, say “I am T-Shirtoooo!” If they ask what your super powers are, say “I am T-Shirtoooo!” Repeat until they go away. (Note: This is currently my top idea for a Halloween costume.)
Hey, Everybody But Chad
Oct 29th
This SASS’N BOP song needs a name. *Best title wins. Default title: Peacocky Peayocky.
* I have no idea what best means for this contest.
From the WP String Theory Discussion
Oct 29th
I was trying to get a Pancake City online store (through CafePress) up by 4:00, but I’m too brain dead to come up with good ideas. My two ideas so far are this (which has probably been done before) and a shirt that says “Preachers Like To Thump It.”
This question in the chat made me laugh:
Normal, Ill.: Why do the strings, the fundamental elements of matter and energy, vibrate in the first place? Does something induce an outside force which makes them them vibrate, or do they will themselves into vibration, because I want to know how to make myself vibrate.
Jim Gates: Hi,
The short answer to this question is that the laws of
quantum theory demand that superstrings vibrate. So
it is not necessary for any outside agency to “cause”
the vibration.
Move Over, Stephen Glass
Oct 29th
I am very tempted to start posting old Dave Barry columns, making them my own, of course, by replacing instances of “booger” with “monkey.”
Or maybe I’ll just start stealing his links.
A Letter to Juicy Juice
Oct 29th
Suspiciously, as if they know their scam is up, the Juicy Juice web site stopped working when I went to email them this letter. I’ll send it later and let you know if they respond.
Hodgepodge
Oct 29th
It has been a long time since I have had to write on deadline. If this were a job, I’d be fired by now. “Walther! Where’s the Pinsky report?” “I’m working on it. But in the meantime, check out this web page about handlebar mustaches.”
* Thank god this is for sale.
* I need an average amount of sleep. Average amount for babies.
* I’m not one of those writers who blames his readers when his don’t laugh at my jokes. I put the blame squarely on where it belongs: God. That fucking asshole.
* If you stutter on tv, and say a curse word, at what point do the censors bleep you out? “F-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-dge! Gotcha!”
* A trailer for a war movie started with “Armed only with their courage…” These movie soldiers may be brave, but they’re also incredibly stupid. Take a gun with you the next time you go to war, dumb ass.
Washington Post Headlines
Oct 29th
Jurors See Toga Party Tape
Guil-ty, guil-ty, guil-ty!
Edwards’s Quest for Fire
“I will bring them fire,” says toga-clad Edwards. “And they will bring me love.”
Sharpton: Dean’s Agenda ‘Anti-Black’
Anti-black part cited: beating Sharpton for nomination.
Bay Group Urges Controls on Nutrients
Boy group urges controls on heartbreak.
Democrats Shake Booty at D.C. Club
Democrats shake booty…oh, they already said that.
Calif. Fires May Lead to Tree Bill
“Not on my watch,” says fire chief; tree bill protected by 100-foot trench, encased in fire-resistant dome.
Microsoft to Settle Antitrust Lawsuits
Headline Appears Every Month
Outburst From Sun Headed For Earth
“And another thing, I’m sick and tired of you turning your back on me…”
Editorial: Fire Damage
Frankenstein: “Fire damage baaaad.”
This Was Going To Be an Extra Post, But It Took Too Long To Write. Plus, I Had To Go To The Bathroom. And I Didn’t Capitalize ‘an.’ Should I Have?
Oct 29th
I feel like I’m in the Army, catching quick naps as the Humvee barrels into enemy territory, but always ready to jump up at full alert and ready to start making monkey jokes.
I may have mentioned this before, but there is what should be an awesome series on string theory currently showing on NOVA. The series is based on Brian Greene’s book “The Elegant Universe.” Based on his writing style, I’m expecting the series to be similar in approach to the one Robert Crow-something-or-other did for ABC a few years back. The Washington Post chat today on the series will have more information for those interested.
I like to hide related links in my posts, but I’m putting this one in the open because it’s too good to miss.
Show schedule: The series is showing in WETA 26 (D.C. area) on Tuesdays at 8:00 and Saturdays at 1:00.




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