The Humour Club discussion
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Most were probably too busy staring into cell phones to notice.
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PLEASE! Keep us informed when it hatches.
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You can bet the reporter who didn't catch one in the face is impressed!
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I just read whatever crosses my path & catches my fancy. I'm trying to chip away a bit at my non-electronic TBR pile, though.
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I have summer reading piles that I may not get to until next summer.
Does that count?
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I use one shelf of a bookcase to stack next reads. However, occasionally a book may get stuck there for an inordinately long time, so it's actually a combination of next reads and literary limbo.
Joel wrote: "Anyone ambitious enough to have a summer reading list put together?"Did you do this when you were a kid? My kids had to share their summer reading lists with teachers.
I read everything in the library starting at authors whose names begin with A. After finishing with Z, I went back and started over to catch anything I missed. We had a set of encyclopedias at home, and I read those. Obviously I had no friends.
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I get annoyed when the teaser title of an article leads to absolutely nothing.
"HERE'S THE LATEST AND GREATEST!!!!" turns out to be an article on old hats.
I'm looking for meat and potatoes, not filler.
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I decided about ten years ago that I had time for either magazines or books, but not both. I still get a few mags that are loaded with recipes and/or pretty pictures of elegant homes so unlike my own. I tend to shove these under the couch thinking I'll get to them "later." My dark, shameful secret was revealed last Christmas when we needed to move the furniture to make room for the tree.
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Jacques Pépin Makes an Excellent Case for Drinking More Wine Than Water
The icon shares his secrets to living a good life and his funniest Julia Child story.
...Damn! My glass is empty!
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Seriously - can you blame me?
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Seriously -..."
I'm a big WWI buff. The world as we know it was shaped by that war and the peace treaty that followed, yet most people know very little about it. I'm also a big doughnut buff. Not sure I'd go out of my way for anything called 'hardtack', though.
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I gave in and tried the hardtack. The taste was okay - bland and salty like an oyster cracker - but it was impossible to chew. Apparently the soldiers would soak it in coffee to make it edible.
They were pretty desperate, I'm guessing.
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Possibly, but food preservation wasn't exactly a modern science at the time, and supply still relied heavily on horse and mule power. In addition, hardtack was traditional military fare, mostly for sailors, but at sea it was known as "ship's biscuit." The important thing for a sailor to remember was to tap your biscuit gently on a hard surface until all the weevils come out before eating it.
Modern food preservatives don't sound all that bad now, do they?
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My excuse is the weather. This has been one of the nicest summers I can remember here in central PA - sunny and pleasant with temps in the low eighties - I can't stand to be indoors any longer than necessary. Now, if I had a laptop, and could use it outside . . . that would be a different story.
Joel wrote: "I was just observing how, in the summer, activity on The Humour Club (and Goodreads in general) seems to taper off. It was suggested to me that, during the few months when 90% of North America isn'..."I noticed that but assumed I was not getting emails about many posts. My excuse is I have been in a funk. Do other writers get in a funk? I love to write but hate self-promotion. Writing sometimes feels like the art world where you have to wear colorful vintage clothes and keep reminding everyone how great you are. How to get out of a funk?
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It's a common fallacy that people want frivolous vacations when the weather is nice. The truth is that all the chores that piled up during the last Ice Age still need to be done. Face it, one can't sweep out the garage when the door is frozen shut, and we just don't have such wonderful excuses during the summer months.
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Turn left.
Turn left again.
Turn left again.
And finally, turn left once more.
You have now looked completely around your surroundings and have failed to find any farm animals tethered in your living room, or anything that reminds you of daily life in Somalia, North Korea, Burka-wrapping countries, etc.
Nay! You have choices, indoor plumbing, and grocery stores with entire aisles devoted to ice cream.
DAMN! You've got it good, Brena! You're on top of the world.
Funk????? What funk?????
Alternatively, invite a friend over for a good chat and a bottle of wine.
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Turn left.
Turn left again.
Turn left again.
And finally, turn left once more.
You have now looked completely around your surroundings and have fail..."
Jay, I think you've hit on the secret of life!
Jay wrote: "Brena wrote: "...How to get out of a funk?"Turn left.
Turn left again.
Turn left again.
And finally, turn left once more.
You have now looked completely around your surroundings and have fail..."
Yep. I am a lucky, lucky girl.
I am fascinated by war torn countries and the simple life of dodging bullets and hiding from the enemy.
Funk like ennui. I always funk between projects.
Melki wrote: "Good news, spork fans! The spork has its own website:http://www.spork.org/
My favorite quote - "A spork is so much more than just a poor excuse for an eating utensil."
How true, how true."
Melki wrote: "Good news, spork fans! The spork has its own website:
http://www.spork.org/
My favorite quote - "A spork is so much more than just a poor excuse for an eating utensil."
How true, how true."
It's a spork eat spork kinda world, isn't it? A spork, a spork, my kingdom for a spork etc, etc. 😆
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I will claim a combo of summer activities and writer's funk.
For me, the best way out of that funk is to start writing. The best way to do that is to get everyone else out of the house. That's the hard part.
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Buy a set of drums. You only have to practice for 5 minutes before they all leave voluntarily.
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Buy a set of drums. You only have to practice for 5 minutes before they all leave voluntarily."
LOL! On reflection, maybe practicing my french horn would work. Except on my spouse. He is able to focus enough to ignore anything.
Try turning on the vacuum. Most men seem to really hate that sound.
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In fact, the greatest increases in alcohol use were women, minorities, older adults, and people of lower socioeconomic status. The authors point out that while the public conversation has largely been on opioids and pot in recent years, alcohol use and abuse have been quietly rising.
Bit of a downer...but I'm interested in what you all think.
Aside from the obvious questions this study raises (Like: Where can I find all these drunk women?), do you think this is a trend similar to the increase in drinking during The Great Depression when it was a symptom of societal despair? Are people just giving up and reaching for the nearest anesthetic?
Jay wrote: "People in the U.S. Are Drinking More Alcohol Than Ever: Study
In fact, the greatest increases in alcohol use were women, minorities, older adults, and people of lower socioeconomic status. The ..."
There is plenty of societal despair going on. Easily 9 out 10 people I know are functioning alcoholics. When they were younger they were just being social and drinking (a lot) has become increasingly socially acceptable.
I keep my mouth shut because who am I to judge, I smoke cigarettes. Cigs are not PC, and even though these people are alcoholics, many of them criticize me for smoking. Silly, and most of them have added medical marijuana to their daily routine. Many of them take anti-depressants as well. My generation is seriously screwed up.
I would probably be an alcoholic if I could drink. I seem to have an allergy to it, and it immediately makes me ill. bummer. Whatever someone needs to do to cope is okay with me, as long as they don't hurt others.
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Joel wrote: ""Alcohol use" is a very broad term. I didn't read the article Jay is referring to, there could possibly be a bit of something more sinister implied than actual. Drinking wine with dinner is alcohol..."Abuse is the problem. Nothing wrong with drinking if it doesn't destroy your life.
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Traditionally, wine or beer with a meal became the norm when drinking water was likely to make you ill. Even young children were served alcohol. However, many of the current articles are focusing on alcohol abuse. The problem is many of the studies are little more than surveys, or the methodology is open to question. Are 4 in 10 people really alcohol abusers? Or, is it 6 in 10, or 3 in 8? It seems there is little credibility in many of the headlines, however, much like the current "opioid epidemic" widely reported, it does seem that people consuming more alcohol is a trend. The real question is: Is this a personal choice or an escape?
I think I'll pour myself a scotch and mull it over.
Jay wrote: "Joel wrote: ""Alcohol use" is a very broad term. I didn't read the article Jay is referring to, there could possibly be a bit of something more sinister implied than actual. Drinking wine with dinn..."Or is it biological? People who never knew their alcoholic parents often are alcoholics.
My younger sisters and I were given wine with school lunches. I didn't over indulge, but they were lushes by the time they hit second grade. Drunk kids make for some interesting school pictures.
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It's true, there is some evidence to support a biological argument.
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Today he came home feeling homicidal, and related this little tale of a phone call he received this afternoon:
Concerned Mother - My son placed a book order a few weeks ago, and he never got the books.
My Husband - I can trace the order for you.
It says here that Federal Express delivered the envelope to your door two weeks ago.
Concerned Mother - We got that, but when does he get the books?
My Husband - You ordered access codes. You enter the codes, then read the books on your computer.
Concerned Mother - But, when do we get the books?
My Husband - They're e-books.
Concerned Mother - Let me put my son on.
Feckless Son - So, when do I get my books?
My Husband - You enter in the access codes, then you can read the books on your laptop or tablet.
Feckless Son - Should I see my professor to get the books?
My Husband - Okay. Let's go with that.
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Now all that's left to do is argue with my husband over who gets custody of the empty room.
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Arrange it so that your hubby doesn't want the empty room. Remember, possession is 9/10ths of the law. Paint the room pink and put a lace doily on anything that doesn't move....except possibly your hubby himself.
Melki wrote: "I've been working my butt off. My oldest son is moving out today, and we've been huffing his mattress, box spring, chest of drawers, etc. up the incredibly steep staircase leading to his new apartm..."I cry just thinking about my son moving out. Hell, I cry at Target commercials of OTHER people's kids moving out. I training my youngest to want to be an artist so she will never leave.
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It was time. He works irregular hours, and I was sick of being wakened at 2am when he came home. Plus, he didn't move very far. His new apartment is right behind where I work - so convenient for me to just "drop in" inconveniently.
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Arrange it so that your hubby doesn't want the empty room. Remember, possession is 9/10th..."
After my careful explanation that HE has the garage for HIS woodworking shop, and 3/4 of the basement for HIS fly tying and massive model railroad layout, I won! The room is mine.
Jay wrote: "Melki wrote: "Now all that's left to do is argue with my husband over who gets custody of the empty room."Arrange it so that your hubby doesn't want the empty room. Remember, possession is 9/10th..."
I've found quickly putting up white lace curtains scares away most men, too.
Kate wrote: "Melki wrote: "I've been working my butt off. My oldest son is moving out today, and we've been huffing his mattress, box spring, chest of drawers, etc. up the incredibly steep staircase leading to ..."Kate wrote: "Melki wrote: "I've been working my butt off. My oldest son is moving out today, and we've been huffing his mattress, box spring, chest of drawers, etc. up the incredibly steep staircase leading to ..."
It is perfectly normal to get weepy about them moving out. When my daughter moved 300 miles away to go to university, I took 3 day weekends off from work and visited her a couple of times I month. I cried all the way home each time. I had horrible separation anxiety.
The Humour Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Book of Heroic Failures (other topics)Fox in Socks (other topics)
Green Eggs and Ham (other topics)
Fox in Socks (other topics)
Fox in Socks (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Katherine May (other topics)Richard Osman (other topics)
David Sedaris (other topics)
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Christopher Buckley (other topics)
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https://www.gofccyourself.com/
only to get the message: Because of a procedural quirk, the FCC will not be considering any comments on the issue of net neutrality that are submitted over the next week or so.
I'll be trying again next week.
You know, I'm getting really tired of having to fight these battles all over again. If only we had a President whose main goal isn't to overturn every single thing the Obama administration ever did.