Friday Foolishness – Thirst Quenching Edition

Today’s Music: Stanley Jordan – Stairway To Heaven
Note on Today’s Music: First time I saw this guy do a solo show at Birdland, I sat there staring for the whole set. I have never before or since seen anyone do anything quite like what he does. I hope you enjoy the song.

The calendar, as it does every week, has brought us around, once again, to Friday. But it sure took it’s sweet time getting here. Work was all sorts of fun (for a definition of fun that means not fun at all), but we in the US get a 3 day weekend, so that’s something…
Plus there were some great posts on other blogs! Jennifer Worrell took me to a very odd ballet recital. Barking in the Dark put up a great piece about the evils of smartphones
A Frank Angle wrote a political commentary that was more rational than most of the political discourse out there now.
And Whitelady in the Hood posted a poignant moving entry that made me think about the world we live in vs the world I want to live in.
You guys made the week, by turns, funny, considered and poignant. As did all the rest of you, always giving me a great way to spend time when I can get out there.
Thanks so much for all your posts this week!

But you guys want to know what happened last week. The poll asked Where should we go in the space shuttle? (you know, if we happened to get our hands on one). Y’all had some great answers! (As always, my comments are in italics)

to moonbase alpha
(Simulators?We don’t need no stinkin simulators. We have a Space Shuttle!)
to the writing room for Jon Stewart’s Daily Show ~whatimeant2say
(Wow, when you want to go to another world, you don't mess around!)
to another galaxy far away & look for friends who are funny like us! Benzeknees
(Are there such people outside of wordpress? (and blogspot?)(and disqus?)(and…))
Star Trekkin, across the universe. Snaap, Ginger
(And then we could sing about it! Oh, wait, it's been done…)
Second star to the right, and straight on till morning! (BAM! I just won.) Lilly @pathoflillys.com
(Congratulations! Was your prize a ticking alligator?)
back to our birthdays, so we can live life a second time (Stacy Lyn)
(Maybe half life – after the teen years.)
definitely into space so we can play in zero gravity. Michelle at Motley News
(YEAH!!! Wait a minute – are we talking about playing the same kind of games, Michelle?)
Fly me to the Moon! (Lilly @pathoflillys.com)
(Well, we’re already planning on playing among the stars… ;))
home
(Home is where you hang your hat. Or park your space shuttle. hehehe)
get a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster – John Phillips
(I’ve got a lemon slice if you’ve got a gold brick!)
to look for the big dipper
(Is that where they’re serving Pan Galactic Gargle Blasteers)
I call shotgun, but only if there is Romulan ale. Red.
(No Romulan Ale, Red. But the drink we do have is…um…It's green)
To find the poor folks “Lost In Space,” especially that robot. We need WARNINGS
(Actually surprised we haven't seen him yet. Seriously, for a while, that robot turned up everywhere…)
The lost in space comment was mine — Elyse 54.5
(DANGER! DANGER! REPEAT COMMENTER, WILL ROBINSON!!!)
to find Jimmy Buffett. Didn’t he go into space with Mr. Spaceman?
(If by Space you mean "fell off a stage", then yes, I believe he did.)
[insert Great Space Coaster lyrics]
([Insert plea to make it stop])
Planet Batpoop lindav
(I don’t guano go there…)
“To infinity and beyond!” Quirky
(Only if we get real lasers and not just blinky lights!)
To visit Pluto. I bet he’s kinda bummed about not being a planet anymore 😦 Lily in Canada
(Wait, you mean bummed about not being a puppy anymore, right? Oh, that Pluto. nevermind.)
I’ve never been to me…. Joehoover
(What?!? But you is such a wonderful place to go!)
Fly it where the sun don’t shine.
(Ok, but will they know what to do with a spaceship in Nebraska?)
To a 7 eleven for a big gulp…zannyro@yahoo
(I think you just want to show off our ride in the parking lot, zannyro. Or is that just me?)
to the pharmacy first for my motion sickness b/c it will be a helluva ride (AFA)
(I bet NASA left some killer drugs on board for just that purpose, frank!)
snap snap going Home!
(Dig it, Man! Ka-tshhh)
…via Dagobah. Because the force is strong in us! (Kanerva)
(Wise in the ways of space travel routing, you are)
Drive over Jersey Shore so we can throw water bombs on Snooki KJ
(WE HAVE A WINNER!!!)

Like I said, some great answers. Congratulations to KJ for this weeks winning answer! And while only one person picked BRRRRAAAAAIIINNNSSS!!!!!! (thanks, Asplenia!), the most popular of the offered choices was to Uranus. Because we’re 12 years old. So that’s funny.. Just further proof of how much you guys rock!

This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer in the US. And for decades, Coca Cola has been telling us they should be identified with summer. Well, maybe they aren’t because they just don’t have the right flavor.
This week we put the question to you: What is the right flavor?
Answer as often as you like. If you do a write in, leave a way to recognize who you are, and I’ll link back to you next week.
But do it by 2359 EST on 31 May, because that’s when the poll closes!

And to put you in a summer frame of mind, I leave with, yes, the trailer for that summer classic, Beach Blanket Bingo!

Have a great week all!

Beatnik Poetry Slam – Infinite Mystery

Today’s Music: Tony Bennet & Diana Krall – I’ve Got The World On A String

Note – Tonight’s Beatnik Poetry Slam ans nothing to do with Lynne at Free Penny Press who is hosting take-it-to-the-street-poetry.
Because Beats don’t join clubs like that.
Unless there’s dark coffee.
And angst.

A black curtain, speckled with bright white LEDs
Drummer Moe Green with the brushes plays the Hi Hat (Ka-Tshhhh) under a dark blue backlight.

A warm pinpoint spot slowly widens on the black-turtle necked torso of El Guapo, clove cigarette dangling languidly from his lips, mirrored Wayfarers reflecting the infinity of space…

Like jewels
Glimmering in deepest darkest dirt
I blink
Ka-Tshhhh
rocket past a star.
Photons
Ka-Tshhhh
illuminate my pores
Meteors
orbit near and far
(exhale of smoke scents the room with clove)

The universe
asks me who what I want
Traveling
Byond
in darkness and in light
My answer
Ka-Tshhhh
echoes out beyond.
Baby,
Ka-Tshhhh
Is there any booze
available on this flight?

(Fast tattoo on the Hi Hat)

Aaaand fade…

*Note – El Guapo does not condone the use of turtlenecks or clove cigarettes. Ray Ban Wayfarers, however, are just plain cool.

Friday Foolishness – Galactic Edition

Today’s Music: The Firm – Star Trekkin’
Note on Today’s Music: TMWGITU made me use this. The things we do for love…

Well, I had a kill-yourself kind of week. I’m tempted to call out the laptop manufacturer whose product has been driving me batpoop crazy all week, but I don’t think the Lenovo people, or their buddies at IBM would appreciate it. The T520 team definitely wouldn’t, so I’ll just let it go.
But the fact that it was such a long week made reading the other blogs that much more fun and appreciated as I struggled along.
Lisa shared some of her addictions, and I hope she never goes into rehab for them, because they’re too funny.
Asplenia earned herself a lifetime pass from cooking, and finished up the post with one of my favorite bits ever from a Monty Python flick.
And the Girl in the Cat Frame Glasses put up her Epic Four Part Bio, with a nod to mental health in part 3. It’s a great well told story.
(It’s still Mental Health Awareness Month.)

Thanks to them and everyone else for feeding my addiction to great stories!

Last week, instead of doing the smart thing and asking how these polls should be asked, we went the other way, and asked how they should be answered. Several people were confused and had no idea what I was talking about. Welcome to my world ladies and gentlemen…
So here they are, your answers to last weeks poll, The correct answer for these polls is… (As always, my comments are in italics)

lurking somewhere just beyond the horizon Laura (liveclay)
(Not sure if that’s Joe Walsh – In the City, or Rod Serling…)
there’s an app for that.
(You know, Angry Birds can’t solve everything.)
Filling in bubbles is so inside the box. No boxes. Red.
(Perhaps an oval, with a Möbius strip wall?)
take two aspirin and call me in the morning. Barking in the Dark.
(If you hold the pills between your knees, you won’t have good stories to tell in the morning.)
all of the above and then some.
(Wait, going above and sideways? I like it!)
With a shotgun_Barb
(Step awaaay from the coffee, Barb.)
Huh? Elyse, 54.5
(I believe you have grasped the essence of these polls, Elyse!)
Roast beef
(No, that was the pickle poll a few weeks ago…)
Always mine. Quirky
(I am so tempted to write “WRONG” here. Fortunately, I am (barely) not that immature!)
Call me a dumb blond on this one cuz I’m just not gettin’ it. Michelle Motley News
(It was a test, Michelle. And you’ve passed brilliantly!)
Yours for only $19.99….that’s a $60 value! Stay Abnormal
(I’ll take seventeen hundred!!! Will you throw in an oven mitt?)
Umm, whatever he said (jerking thumb to the left) Kanerva
(GAH!!! Watch those thumbs lady! That was my eye!!!)
whatever I answer I decide to grace you with. G-Snaap
(Who is Grace, and why are you waving her at us?)
The correct answer is ‘me’…’cause I’m always right! KJ
(By official order of the President of Canadia!)
C and some that I typically can’t provide – a quick, witty answer. (Frank)
(At least you have the wisdom not to fake wit, Frank. Unlike a certain Friday Foolishness poll writer I could name.)
if I KNEW.. I would win one WOULDNT I? lizzie
(Wait for it…)
I am confused
(Hey, you can join Michelle and Elyse at the support group! I’ll be there too. Sigh.)
Dude, you have too much free time on your hands. WG
(god, how i wish that were true…)
I did NOT have sexual relations with that woman! lizzie..
(yes…I think…can it be…
WE. HAVE. A. WINNER!!!!
and despite what that Linda Vernon character thinks, I was not intimidated into picking you this week.)
(I’m not scared of her.
(Much.)

Congratulations to LizzieCracked for this weeks winning answer! And for those that are wondering, the most popular poll choice was F. What the hell are you asking me for?.
Congratulations to you all. For making it through another one of these. Sigh.

There’s been a bit of hullabaloo in NYC. They flew in a space shuttle, and are going to put it in the incredible Intrepid Air & Space Museum. Until then, it’s sitting in an airport. Under a shed. Next to the highway.
Hmm…
Why are the best ideas also the worst? I’m going to take a short drive this weekend just to see it. I swear, officer who might be reading, I’m just going to look.
But for those of you who’ve been here a while, this week’s poll asks. Where you wanna go?
Vote often, and if you write in an answer, leave a way to recognize you and I’ll link back to you next week. Just do it by 2359 EST on 24 May. Because that’s when the poll closes.

And to keep you entertained until I call for bail, enjoy these:
The first man on the moon

and a quick look ahead, from NASA

Have a great week all. I gotta go catch my ride.

People

Today’s Music: Sly and the Family Stone – Everyday People
Note on Today’s Music: When the idea for this post came to me, this song leapt into my head. At least it took it;s shoes off first…

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s a month to draw attention to what mental illnesses are and how the people that have them deal with them, what symptoms are, and what can be done to help.
It isn’t hard to do. They’re just people.

I know a woman who has ADHD. And a husband and kids who are all at that age. She has a wicked sense of humor. She is insane, in the non-clinical, best sense of the word.
Every so often, she breaks down and just needs to talk about her struggle with the illness. Much like the rest of us sometimes just need to vent about what’s going on in our lives.

I have a friend who’s bipolar. She gets upset about things. Just like the rest of us. She gets happy about things. Just like the rest of us.
The fact that she has a mental illness doesn’t take away from struggling with the same problems as we all do. It just adds another layer to it.
But she also has a hilarious outlook. Even when she’s swung to the low end, she can say something that will make me laugh out loud, which makes me say something that makes her laugh, and back and forth we’ll go.
The conversations often end with “Thanks”, because both of us find them good conversations. Both of us will say it. It’s the conversation that matters.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
It’s funny, there’s a lot of stigma attached to mental illness. People that have it often try to hide it and avoid it.
The two people above have openly admitted it. They’ve said when they’re going through a reaction to it, invited questions, and explained what it means.
They’ve said that the biggest help in dealing with it is knowing that they don;t have to hide it and that their friends are accepting.

Poke around. If someone you know has Depression, is Bi-Polar, has OCD, even something like an eating disorder, look into it. Find out what it means.
Think about the people that stuck by you when you were having difficulties in your life. Think about how when you’ve revealed something you were deeply ashamed of, those close to you just said “Ok”, and went on being close to you.

We’re all just people. we all have baggage.
Doesn’t make any of us any less worthwhile than anyone else.

So please, take a moment to find something out about Mental Illnesses and the people that have them.
People. Just like you and me.

Friday Foolishness – Decision Edition

Today’s Music: Buddy Guy – Damn Right I’ve Got The Blues
Note on Today’s Music: Yep, that about sums it up.

If you check your calendar, you’ll see that it’s Friday once again. And that means WEEKEND!!! Oh yeah, and the Foolishness.
But before we get into that, here are some of the posts where I spent my time this week…
Joe Hoover took me to Spain. Asplenia let me eavesdrop on a hilarious conversation.
And Lorre posted a great topless pic.
Also, for those of you trying to avoid inundating your readers with comments thanks to WP changes, Amy at Sharp Little Pencil put up a great guide for how to fix that.
And finally, Quirky took an issue and put it in perspective, the NFL player pay demands vs. the pay of U.S. soldiers, done in a funny, none preachy way. Something to think about…

Thanks guys and gals. You and everyone else made it a lot easier to bear a bunch of extra long days this week.

But before you check them out, you should know that there were lots of responses to
last week’s poll. We asked What You Forget When Running Late. Boy, did you guys have something to say! (As always, my responses are in italics)
to unplug my coffee pot; come home to smell of charred caffeine flakes.
(I love the smell of charred caffeine flakes in the evening! Smells like…Nope, never mind…)
whether or not I shut the garage door… it haunts me all day.
(Better than closing the garage door and forgetting whether or not you turned off the engine…)
That I don’t have anywhere to be late to anymore. Hmmmm
(I’m green with envy!)
. (Period) (StacyLyn)
(I thought that came whether you remebered it or not.)
Dimples’ swim bag, unfortunately… Even though we weren’t running late! ~WIM2S
(I bet if you were running late, you’d have remembered everything! Oh, the irony…)
I am never late, Lori should answer this John Phillips
(Pretty sure Lori will tell us something else, John.)
that the world will always wait for me, because I have the keys.
(Can you make a second set for me?)
I have the keys was from Elyse at 54.5. Sorry, I was running late
(That’s okay, we waited. (After all, you have the keys!))
My virginity
(Where, exactly, did you leave it?!?)
my glasses, then I spend the whole rest of the day squinting
(Even worse when you realize they were on top of your head! Oh, is that just me? Sigh…)
My tubers. Linda V.
(Way to get back to your roots, Linda! BWAHAHA!)
What I’ve forgotten
(I like to say that, when in truth, I never really knew…)
What is late? Nothing begins until I arrive. Red.
(WE HAVE A WINNER!)
ok..let’s see here…umm what was the question? lizzie
(It was..It…Rats. I forgot.)
to hide the body properly. Damn!
(I can get you a good deal on a woodchipper…only slightly used!)
to unplug the flat iron then worry that I’ve burned down my house Quirky
(At least it will look stylish while it burns!)
That I hate my job – Hotspur
(Hell, I don’t think I can forget that!)
that the next day, I’m supposed to rise earlier to not have to hurry…. –NBI
(I tell myself that every night!)
my, oh look, shiny!!
(If you keep getting distracted, you’re going to be even later.)
my mind. No, wait… I lost that a long time ago. Michelle at Motley News
(It’s always in the last place you look.)
That I can just make a grand entrance so it looks planned.
(Yeah, I pretend it was planned when I stumble. Hope it works better for you than me!)
that I’m a male and so I don’t get periods.
(Are you sure? I mean, if that’s something you can forget…)
to breathe… but obviously, not for too long.
(Don’t worry, blue is your color…)
to properly hide the bodies
(I prefer to leave them out in the open. On the lawns of my enemies. hehehe.)
my wife isn’t happy at the moment. (Frank)
(Pretty sure she wouldn’t let you forget that Frank!)
that I forgot to remember the thing I forgot. KJ
(It was the doohickey. You know, next to the thingamajig.)
to take part in the Friday Foolishness Poll! (Kanerva)
(Are you forgetting, or does your mind block it out to try and save you?;))

Congratulations to Red for this weeks winning answer! And from the offered choices, the most popular one was BRRRAAAIIIINNNSSS!!!. Yeah, kind of fits for this one!

This week, we go behind the curtain to see how the answers to these polls work. That’s right folks, the thing behind the stuff behind the jazz!
So I ask you, how the hell are these supposed to be answered? Well, you tell me!
Leave your name with your “Other” answer, and I’ll link back to you next week. And answer as often as you like, just do it before 17 May, at 2359 EST. Because that’s when it closes.

While you wait for the answers next week, I leave you with this to send you on the way to your weekend…
This is something it has not occurred to me to try. Until now. hehehe
Come along for the ride?

And until next week, hope all your roads are smooth!