One of the benefits of working at home is daytime television, like one of the benefits of being a plumber is all the free compost. Remember when it started? The compost, I mean? It was in the 90s. The king of daytime talk was Phil Donahue, whose show in the beginning could seem salacious but actually was thoughtful and measured compared with his usurpers racing to find the lowest common denominator of public taste and intelligence. (Judging by their spawn, “reality TV,” it hasn’t been found yet.) Along came Geraldo Rivera and Jerry Springer and Oprah Winfrey, and the mud-rasslin’ was in full swing. Of course, today it all seems tame, but mercifully we didn’t know that then. Phil tried to resist the trend but was powerless really. He eventually eased into the mud with the others, then quit. Oprah took the opposite route; she started in the mire and over time pulled herself and her show to higher ground. As for Geraldo and Jerry Springer, oh my. I honestly don’t know what they’re doing now and don’t care. Enough of a very old rant. At least I got a cartoon out of it.
That’s Entertainment!
By Jimmy Johnson
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122 responses to “That’s Entertainment!”
Could not get back in earlier, but first try this time. Maybe the Internet gremlins have decided to leave us!
Debbe: Right now we just have had some rain, which has stopped for now. The weather gurus are predicting snow tonight and tomorrow morning, 8-10 inches. We shall see… I am sick and tired of winter!
My project of the day… Have been making sure all files that I want to keep were copied – then removed – from two (!!!) old laptops. One is so old it doesn’t have a flash drive! Both have the XP operating system. That is why I got a new one to replace the second one. Now… what do I do with them? Any suggestions?
Jackie: Be careful!
Charlotte: How is the ankle?
Everyone: Take care… it is a rainy, cold, wet, and perhaps snowy jungle out there!
Well, hello, Village. I missed you.
Add these to your weather sayings, Denise…
If it thunders in January, it will frost in April.
Mackerel scales and mare’s tails make lofty ships carry low sails.
A veering wind, fair weather; a backing wind, foul weather.
There’s one involving a groundhog, but you probably already know it. 🙂
XP laptops, Gal? Paperweights? Boat anchors?
I actually have a 15″ laptop and a 10″ netbook with XP in both. One day, if I live long enough, and my aggravation factor drops sufficiently, I’ll try to download the Ubuntu (Sit, Ubuntu!) OS into them, as suggested by sideburns last year.
This is my post from Tuesday morning that seemed to disappear when The Troubles began, even though Debbe 😉 apparently saw it at some point, in regard to Jackie’s comment that she was looking forward to weighing:
“This morning when I got dressed, I had to use the last notch in my belt. This is the third belt I’ve owned since I started Weight Watchers. A while back, I realized I could buckle the first belt in the notch I wore it when I started Weight Watchers and pass it over my body from head to feet and step out of it. They got a big kick out of that at WW meetings.
“I suppose I should have kept it as a memento, but I left it at Bad Mindy’s house, and I no longer speak to her, so bad cess, that.”
GR 😉 I’m just trying to get a rouse out of you…just making ‘conversation’ in that empty gym 🙂
A photo from the “and you think you’ve got troubles” department:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/safariandwildlifeholidays/11446267/Incredible-photo-captures-weasel-riding-on-the-back-of-a-flying-woodpecker.html
Nope, the “belt” post I thought disappeared was actually Monday night and is still there. Never mind.
What did go missing (I believe) was the Thought for the Day yesterday morning: “Accept the fact that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.”
Now we can look forward to Jimmy telling us exactly what happened the past few days…Or he will say that he did not have a clue!
It works! I remembered that I have a little-used Flickr account that I set up several years ago as part of an on-line professional development program. The correspondence from Louis L’Amour that I mentioned last week (?) may be seen at the link below – along with a few other things that don’t amount to much 🙂
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51215924@N03/sets/72157651105113506/
From AccuWeather: “A new storm will spread a swath of snow and sleet spanning more than 1,500 miles from northern Texas and Oklahoma to southeastern New York state and Massachusetts, during Wednesday into Thursday.”
I hope Jackie and daughter and grandson clear that corridor before it gets too bad.
Good luck with that, Steve. Historically, Jimmy has been reluctant to explain his cartoons or anything else. 🙂
Debbe, Your mention of Indiana caused me to wonder why the PC people have not made Indiana change its name as they tried to do with the FSU Seminoles. It may have happened if they had not had the vocal support of the original Seminoles.
There could be at least eight other states needing corrective action under Jerry’s plan. Cities, rivers, and landmarks of undetermined number. While at it, let’s expunge Euro centric and Asian names, lest we offend. I propose a strict system of numerals, only ones offended by this scheme would be a few numerati.
Imagine waking up on morning and realizing you live in Nativeamericanapolis, Nativeamericana.
Anonymous, if someone who can’t read is illiterate, would someone who is poor at mathematics be ilnumerate? Or malnumerate? Even digitally inept?
But then, Anonymous, you open the Arabic numeral-centric vs. Roman numeral-centric can of worms.
Ghost sweetie, will you givever me weather from I-24 to Nashville then I40 tof Atlanta.
Ruth Ann: The letter from Louis L’Amour was wonderful! Just the same, down-to-earth character I always saw in his marvelous books. Thank you!
I think one of my own comments that disappeared was in response to Ghost saying it must be nice to have my own personal security guard living in the house. I replied that he knew the position was opèn but I had not yet received his application.
I did see that, Jackie…now that the position has been filled. 🙁
Jackie, light rain and 34 degrees in Nashville now, changing to ice and then snow overnight with a low of 22. I hope you are already south of there. Huntsville, a low of 29 and high of 32 tomorrow with light snow in the morning, but I’d expect the roads to stay clear. Birmingham south, I believe will be OK
May still be snowing at Debbe’s 😉 house, but she is probably asleep and doesn’t know it.
Cool letter, Ruth Ann. Thanks for sharing it. That graciousness is what I would expect from him, judging by the many books of his I have read over the years.
Oh, and he offered some great advice, too, for his time and for ours.
Daughter insists on route going to Atlanta, GA thenumber to Tampa. Very stubborn woman, don’t know how that happened. Wants a report on that route.
I would have been sending you the paperwork had I known, Ghost.
Most of you probably noticed that was a Brit. weasel on the back of a Brit. woodpecker. We don’t have Green Woodpeckers here, but we do have the same weasel, depending on what mammalogist you ask.
Speelczech recognizes ornithologist. Discrimination! What about herpetologist [yes], ichthyologist [yes], entomologist [yes], malacologist [no], bryologist [yes].
Good to have the URL problem fixed.
Peace, emb
Awesome letters, Ruth Ann! I love his description of himself. My grandpa was a L’Amour fan, but by the time I noticed, I had wandered into the horror/supernatural/ghost story territories. Never quite circled back. I do enjoy historical works though. The last Western I read was a truly terrible book called “Scent of Sage.” I was working a factory job at the time, had lots of free time, and was the only reading material I hadn’t read yet. Oh, the clichés, hokey descriptions, and cut and paste characters. If memory serves, it was early 50s copywrite. Great textbook on how *not* to write.
It was snowing as I drove home from work today.
Anyone know a good translator who can explain to an annoyed kitty why her human enjoys relaxing in the large retangluar bowl filled with hot water and lavender scented bubbles?