Friday Friday Fo Foolish, Banana Fana So Soolish, Me My Mo Moolish…Foolish!

Today’s Music: Dana Fuchs – Keep On Walkin’
Note On Today’s Music: I was going to go with Starship – Nothngs Gonna Stop Us Now after a twitter conversation with Aussa Lorens, but I’m just not a big enough fan of their music. It brings back too many memories of a thankfully gone era. (Settle own, RoS.) You should check out her blog though! (And RoS too.)
Days Til Spring: 62

RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!!! Surprise!! The Kraken is this weeks Foolishness mascot! (Cato Kaelin wanted too much money.)
And what wasn’t a surprise this week? Why, the great blog posts of course! Here‘s some of what I saw…
In a classic case of “better him than me”, Brain Rants researched the types of people who poop. Benzeknees started taking an online class, and AFrankAngle put up a great piece On Compassion.
Thanks to them and all of you for more spectacular reading!

And then there was the question of last time’s poll. Or rather, last time’s poll question, where we asked How will you celebrate Tuesday’s? And wow, the party never stops with you guys! Here’s what you said. (As always, my comments are wearing a lampshade in italics.)

Reading Benzeknees! Elyse 54.5
(I recommend starting with her palms, moving to her aura, then the bumps on her head…)
I, King Julian – oh wait Im not King Julian..that could be a problem.. LizzieC
(Or it could be the solution!!!)
All of the above, naturally (Kanerva)
(A pity this answer wasn’t before the Computer Sex one below.)
not killing anyone.
(Then what will we eat for the celebratory meal?)
By having a hamburger and paying you next tuesday – John Phillips
(You’re such a sweet pea!)
With copious amounts of the sweet, sweet cheeba!
(Sonny Chiba?)

by not forgetting to celebrate every Tuesday. Here’s to Tuesdays! 🙂
(Wait – Every Tuesday??? We’re gonna need more chips…)
Visiting every business that is closed on Monday. SilkPurseProductions
(Please tell me you didn’t eat at Fridays.)
You know I’ll be knitting, so I have checked that one. Ha! (Stacy)
(And here I was thinking it was my comments that had people in stitches…)
By reminding myself it’s only 3 days til Friday! SnaaapALongG
(Friday’s are boring. TUESDAY!!!!)
a celebratory nap! hang on I have one of those very day..butimbeautiful
(You’re going to need a nap to recover from all those naps!)
Help Guap build Guapolianville for his model train Linda Vernon
(In 1:86 scale, I think their daylong celebration is about 17 minutes…)
having sex on the keyboard and posting the results on my blog? Wife optional.
(I thought the keyboard liked to be on top?)
Thinking “why the fuck am I celebrating on a school night!” Elyse 54.5
(Because what’s going to school without a hangover?)
(Please tell me that wasn’t just me…)
Preparing for that damn camel and his hump~Addie
(It’s always the quiet ones…)
Having a drink with hopes for Tuesday Foolishness (Frank)
(Have a few more, and believe me, the Foolishness will happen.)
Eating tacos and drinking Tequila. I’m practicing for Tuesday tonight! ~Maddie
(Like they say, Live every day like it’s Tuesday.)
Make every tuesday FAT tuesday. Maggie O.C.
(Wouldn’t that make every Wednesday through Monday Lent?)
Tickle Me Tuesday, of course! –Benzeknees
(Oh god! It’s like the office xmas party all over again!)
Performing my morning ablutions at my office desk; floss, moisturize, nose hair.
(I use pomegranate juice to moisturize my nose hair. But I’ve never flossed it.)
With a keg, as is right and proper for every celebration. (thematticuskingdom)
(WE HAVE A WINNER!!!)
with a bottle of vodka hiding from the world. Tuesdays suck. (thematticuskingdom)
(Of course it sucks. You’re supposed to be using a keg.)
PMAO… Honestly, I don’t have a job, so I forget what day it is…
(Funny, I have a job and keep forgetting who I am…)
sitting at my computer, drinking, and wondering why I’m still alone – Twindaddy
(Sounds like you’re having two Mondays and moving straight to Wednesday.)
Drinking like it’s Friday, then feeling guilty like it’s Saturday. Kayjai
(Now you can sleep it off at work like it’s Monday!)
Getting fucking drunk. I may even wait until after work! –NotAPunkRocker
(I’ve found meetings to be much more fun when I start drinking early.)

Congratulations to DJ Matticus for this weeks winning answer, an answer after my own heart. And from the offered choices, the most popular was a tie between Thanking everything it’s not Monday and Pre-humpday knitting party!!!. So congratulations to all of you that I clearly don’t understand.

This week, we continue to enjoy the new year in all its youth. Something else that reminds us of youth is that childhood classic, the See and Say. But it’s a very old toy, and some of the entries could probably do with an update. Well, that’s this weeks poll.
Answer as often as you like, up to 3 Other answers. This one closes ate 2359 EST, on Wednesday, 22 Jan. Because I’m going to try and put the next one up next Friday. And if you do leave an Other answer, leave a way to ID you and I’ll link back next week.

Well, that brings us to the almost end. But before we get tot the very end, I’ll leave you with these…
First, how about a little Muppets?.

And finally, MUPPETS!!!

And that’s the end, but I hope your own Foolishness lives on. Have a great week everyone!

Trifecta: The first time I saw…

Today’s Music: Foreigner – Feels Like The First Time
Days Til Spring: 66

Another year, and new challenges from those wacky cats at Trifecta. And DJ Matticus, who reminded me of the challenge with his great response.
This week, they want 33 words to follow The first time I saw…
(Oh, and they should all be one syllable each.)

But I have 66! The same number of days til spring!
The first set is what came to mind first (since I’m a little bent).
The second set came to me because what’s a trifecta challenge if I don’t at least try to tweak the judges (since I’m probably more than a little bent)?

Vengeance is MINE!!!

The first time I saw
– from the first scream – from the time when the first shock made me wake, I knew my whole life would be in need to give a hard sharp slap back to that doc.

(and again…)
their tasks, mocks from a harsh team who hid in the depths of the ‘net, led me to spend my free time in search of them.
33 care worn words at a time.

Apologies in advance, but hey, it can’t all be Dostoyevsky.

A Life, Remembered

Today’s Music: Pete Seeger – Turn Turn Turn
Days Til Spring: 73

This is a remembrance of my father in law, who passed away a few days ago.

An ordinary man. There will be no epic novels written of him. His name won’t be remembered in the history books. But a man, nonetheless, who lived a full and happy life, and who enjoyed himself all along the way.

Dinosaurs caught the imagination of the man. The fossils, the movements, the history. He studied them and grew intimately familiar with them. As a result, for many years, he served once a week as a Docent (someone visitors could ask questions about dinosaurs of) at the Museum of Natural History.

Music caught the ear of the man. He was already familiar with music, especially all the great folkies of the 50s and 60s. He already knew how to play piano, but this time he picked up a guitar. He forced his hand into the shapes of chords, again and again. Then, pushing on, he learned the positions on the neck and began doing more intricate finger picking.
He discovered middle-age and medieval music. On any given night, you could find him puzzling over obscure music notations, trying to figure out how that translated into English, and to the guitar and lute, which he taught himself to play. He delighted in picking out a tune for the first time, then realizing how similar it was to something he already knew, by a completely different name.
The lyrics too were a doorway to a world long gone. The ballads of the bards told a stylized history of life back then – serfdom, the actions of nobles, the difficulties of daily life. All these discoveries enriched his own life.

The birds caught the eye of the man. They entranced him. He already knew what a camera was, but now he went out and got serious equipment – cameras, lenses, filters. A high end printer so the physical copies would do justice to his digital images. He studied composition, light, color, all to bring his pictures closer to what his eye and his imagination saw.
On the wall behind me are five ultra-close-up images of flowers, a riot of color and swirls, that he took.
The last car he bought, a beat up standard transmission Jeep, was so he could get out to the marshes and preserves and photograph the wildflowers and birds he loved.

The sun caught the eye of the man. In a room of his apartment, with floor to ceiling windows to let the best light in, is a drawing table festooned with pens and brushes and inks. There are dozens of drawings and paintings of birds, of the sun, of dinosaurs.

The man had once studied at seminary to enter the priesthood. It didn’t take, but it had a heavy influence on his spirituality. In the end, he came to Buddhism…perhaps because of the meditative aspects, perhaps because of the inward focus. In time, he led groups in the practices of Buddhism.

The man was concerned about the well-being of others. For many years, he worked as a social worker. In later years, after he retired, he worked in an outreach program for helping people learn English as a second language.
He was going to work in another program to encourage and help foster children to go to college.

Despite having a severe bad reaction to sugar, the man LOVED cookie, with CookieFest being a highlight of his year for several years. There was no one he wouldn’t approach and strike up a conversation with, and no one who wouldn’t engage with him.

He was married for several years. And he raised the most wonderful girl in the universe.

They say that when someone dies, they’re gone, and all we’re left with are the memories of who they were. But sometimes we’re left with an example, of how someone can live their lives, working every day, and still find time to enjoy every day – whether discussing arpeggios with his son in law, or sailing a styrofoam sailboat in the bay (and getting a wicked sunburn), or simply sitting quietly with a pad, trying to draw the reptile skull on the shelf

And we realize that someone who was just a man hasn’t only left us memories.
He’s left us an example we can follow of a life well lived – a life lived with the companionship of close friends, the security of high ideals, and the unabashed love of family.

And puns. Good lord, did that guy love puns.

And he will be missed.

The Return Of The Son Of The Cousin Of That Guy Who’s Sister Briefly Dated The Friday Foolishness!!!

Today’s Music: The Fratellis – Flathead
Days Til Spring: 77

It’s almost as cool as this guy!

There! In the distance, arising like a golden sore on the face of all that is sane! Do you see it? Can you feel it? Does it smell good? (Only it’s body-hair-sculptor knows for sure.)
What can it be??? Why…why…it’s the Friday Foolishness!!!

Here’s how this works. I ask the stupidest question I can think of (because lets face it, there really are such things as stupid questions), and you guys either pick an answer, or write in your own in the Other field. If you do, leave your handle, and I’ll link back to you when I post the answers ahead of the next poll, on alternating Fridays (or random tuesdays, when the mood strikes me). Someone might even win!

There will be some fun, a couple of videos that amused me, and of course, a song. But there’s always a song, so never mind that.
Oh, and I’ll babble a bit. As I tend to do.
I think in the 100+ polls I’ve ran, I’ve deleted a handful of answers, so feel free to say just about anything you want. Just remember, it’s a family blog. So leave your brother alone. He’s a little sensitive. But keep it under 4 answers, so it doesn’t look like we’re in cahoots. (I’m 17 years cahoots free!)

We’ve all just celebrated the new year. But New Years Eve fell on a tuesday this year. Which got me thinking, Tuesday is a pretty good day for a celebration, so lets keep it up all year!
But how will we celebrate it? Well, that’s this weeks poll. Get your answers in by 2359 EST, Friday, 10 Jan.
You’ve got 8 days, so no excuses.

And while you all ponder that, I’ll leave you with these.
First, that marvel of technology, the washing machine!

And finally, what the hell, let’s stick with bears. An oldie but a goodie.
(It’s a bit potty mouth)

Have a great weekend everyone!

A Very Surfing New Year

Today’s Music: The Ramones – Surfin Bird
Days Til Spring: 79
I’m generally the quiet type. I don’t talk a whole lot. Because when I do, it invariably gets me in trouble.
Despite the fact that it was below 30 degrees farenheit this morning with a water temp of maybe forty deg F, I’d been saying I was planning on surfing new years day for several weeks. Enough to the point that A Frank Angle, on his list of “national…” days listed wednesday as El Guapo Surfing Day. Enough to the point where my boss sent me a happy new year email, closing with “don’t drown.

Wish I’d been wrapped in a blanket like my board…

So despite the frigidity of the weather forecast, and the fact the the surf forecast was one word – Flat – I’d backed myself into a corner.
To be honest I was still planning on going when I went to bed at 2 last night. I’d cut myself off after two (delicious) beers so I wouldn’t be hung over. I even packed my bag with gloves, booties and hood and pulled out my wetsuit.
I woke up bright and early at 8 am, but my wife (The Most Wonderful Girl in the Universe) was so warm and snuggly that I stayed curled up with her until 9. But then my innate “me”ness kicked in.
By 945, I was in my wetsuit at dunkin donuts getting coffee.
By 1015, I was on the beach, freezing my butt off, looking at an ocean surface only slightly rougher than glass.

Don’t let the ripple in that pic deceive you. That wave, and all the waves were breaking so close to the beach it was like surfing in sand.
But don’t let it be said that I am a victim of common sense!

My wetsuit-clad leg, ready for battle.

The waves were so low, and breaking so late, that I stood a few yards from the beach. When I saw the few surfable waves roll in, I hopped n my board and rode them the five yards into the sand.

Those drops of water on the board are good atlantic ocean drops.

So I stayed in the water about 45 minutes. When I first got in and the water trickled into my glove, it was so cold that it took about five minutes until the water warmed up and I could move my hand again.

The waves? Crap.
The weather? Freezing.
The surfing? Horrible.
But New Years Day, I spent the morning doing something I love – sitting on a surfboard in the ocean on a beautiful morning.
And if that ain’t worth it…well then, the crazies who ran into the water in bathing suits (and a tutu) 10 minutes after I got out was totally worth it.

And you thought I had problems???

Happy New Year to each and every one of you to your families, and to your loved ones.
And I hope every last one of you catches your wave, whatever it might be.