When the umpteenth variation of “Dead of the Living Night” comes on television, it’s tempting to deride the caliber of entertainment available today. And I do, but as human beings we’ve always had something of a spotty track record when it comes to spectacle. Imagine a huge tent filled with people waiting for somebody to be shot out of a cannon. Not long ago, that was entertainment. Before that, it was bear-baiting and feeding people to wild animals. Maybe we’ve come further than we think.
Big Shot
By Jimmy Johnson
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402 responses to “Big Shot”
The gocomics site is
http://www.gocomics.com/that-is-priceless
Biblical verse of the day: Psalm 119:70: “: Gross like fat is their heart, I delight in your instruction.”
Thanks, Wayne and Rusty! We need a “Cheers” smiley
Jackie, I agree about radio. Except for talk radio, of which I listen to very little, most is about on a level with the newspaper for quality entertainment. On the internet, my favorites are SkyFM, Pandora, and Spotify. You can listen to Sky and Pandora for free, with 1-2 radio-type ads about every 20 minutes. Sky has categories and Pandora lets you set up your own preferences, as does Spotify. The big difference between Pandora and Spotify is that Pandora plays music it considers similar to your choices as well as the artists you requested, while Spotify lets you set your own playlists based on what they have licensed. Spotify does have a free service but I found I liked it so well I went to the premium at about $10 a month for better streaming and no ads.
Timely retro strip for my family as we are headed to “The Circus World Museum” tomorrow.
We had Sirius radio in our trucks for awhile so Mike could listen but I am uncertain why he stopped that? He also had a hissy fit and changed my television source, internet source and telephone services! Men!
Oh, and he had Sirius in his shop to listen while building boats. Are they still around?
Love, Jackie
Sirius is definitely still around – I listen to it in my car everyday. If Mike stopped subscribing, it could have been related to the cost, but you might suggest that he ask them what kind of deal they can give him. A friend of mine did that, suggesting that she would probably have to cancel otherwise, and was given a very fair price.
We visited the new Air and Space Museum outside of DC this summer, a truly amazing collection of aircraft of all eras and types. The Wright Brothers plane is still in the old building on the Mall, but this one has an Air France Concorde and the Enola Gay. It also has a wing devoted to the space program, featuring the shuttle Discovery. There are lots of satellites hanging from the ceiling; a Sirius satellite (never launched obviously) is on the floor and even without its solar panels unfurled it’s really big!
Seeing if this works: 100 piece Rand McNally War Map puzzle, possible copyright 1943
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/t31.0-8/1890520_10154525429750454_263556600618839956_o.jpg
Ruth Anne, I did not know at the time but Mike had already started developing the lung cancer and was ill when he did a lot of things out of “irritation” when he was annoyed. We have been married for 47 years now and I am unfortunately having to figure out how to keep him not annoyed! I am a pretty independent person/woman and not used to being so irritating!
Who me? Irritating? It seems that is all I do now!
I will ask about the Sirius and some other suggestions. I love music and miss it.
Love, Jackie
“. . . better endowed friends . . ..” Better? De gustibus . . .. Your 30AA will never become 38 Long.
Know an overly endowed ordained UMC minister, now retired, who had a major tumor removed, and who, along with reconstruction on that side, had the non-tumorous side reduced to match, and has been more comfortable since. Peace, emb
they merged, it’s now SiruiusXM. We can’t live without ch82, the old time radio, I like ch81 doctor radio, and the 40’s on ch 04, 50’s on 5 and 60′ on 6; they have plenty of talk/political channels and they have even more on the web than on the regular car or house radios. it can be pricey, but you always have something you can listen to
@ Jackie cancer and irritation – my wife is going through chemo and a whole invasive blob of cancer and we don’t really know how it’s going ot turn out. she’s handling it very well, rather remarkably really, she’s never totally pain free and gets understandably a little pissy sometimes, but she kind of catches herself and knows it and sometimes I kind of just go in another room
Heh, my poor MG doesn’t even have a radio in it, so that is not a concern of mine. In the mornings and afternoons when I ride to the hospital with The Boss Of My Life, she leaves the radio off, which is fine with me, I would rather talk with her. She is a good conversationalist and knows something about just about everything, having been to one of those expensive schools. Me, I just went to a cow college in East Texas, so I am glad to learn what I can
John, I stay out of the way as much as I can! He got master suite and living room to himself (or sitting room I guess) I am back in mom’s apartment with animals. And mom who sleeps a lot now and gets up and down all night!
I told him yesterday I would probably stay back there mostly to keep out of his way but also because mom seems to be hallucinating a lot now, thinks she has talked to us and she gets up at odd hours and comes into kitchen, searches for us. I am worried about her falling or getting outside and getting lost.
Anyone else have an elderly parent in residence? She is 93 but I am lucky that everyone who works for me even part time has experience with either nursing homes or home health care. They all love her and I have sworn to keep her at home for her remaining life. Sitters are all my age, so we’re limping along.
Now not sure about me!!
Love, Jackie
Lily, what year is your MG? I used to run around with my best friend in one so old the windshield wipers were operated by hand from inside the car with a switch you turned by passenger. The top got pulled up by hand too. I think it was probably about a ’51? Or older?
I asked Mike just now and his MG we used to go out in was a ’57 he had restored, as it was in 1960’s we were driving it. Heck, I don’t think he ever let me touch the pedals! Candy apple red with a touch of metallic I think?
Love, Jackie
Jimmy:
I guess my childhood occurred during the transitional period.
The circuses that came to this area featured shooting a bear from a cannon.
Jackie: 1978 MGB. It was a graduation gift from my father when I complained about my boring old Toyota Corolla. He gave me the keys and the title and said “There, you’ll never drive bored again.” My cololla has been in storage for six years and I am driving the MG. Thanks, DAD!
Jackie, the Sirius/XM is one other reason I like Dish Network. With several of the packages you get a lot of their music channels included, as well as a multitude of music channels from Dish itself. I have my tv in my home office connected to a stereo, so I really have a choice when I’m working. Oh, one other reason I went to the prime membership on Spotify is that allows you to load your music to your smartphone or tablet, etc and listen without being online. Does not need to stream from the source. If you have a car radio with an input jack or that is Bluetooth compatible, you have your music wherever you drive with no DJ’s and no ads. Heaven.
By the way Ghost. You said you are working on that new series by John Ringo? Does Lilyblack not remind you of Shewolf?
Mark, I’m hesitant to say. Whichever way I go, I’d be afraid she might track me down and dispatch me in my sleep. 🙂
Lady Mindy, I found one on line that looks very similar, but without the flags. The scale is too small for me to tell in the photo, but if it’s WWII era, the Middle East will look very different than it does today…Israel would be Palestine, Saudi Arabia would be Arabia, most of Syria would be the Levant States, etc.
*growls* I think y’all saw the painting I am working on 😛
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/picturesoftheday/11015288/Pictures-of-the-day-6-August-2014.html
Your car insurance people will never believe this without the photo!
Oops! See?
Elephant photo: Proof that big and dumb can be a bad combination.