Curmudgeon Alley

2024/09/202024/09/20

Matrimonial Log – Star Date 5784.262

“Matrimony… the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Casamiento Segundo, its until-death-do-us-part mission… to explore a strange new relationship… to seek out a new life and new adventures… to boldly go where no sane couple has gone before.”

Señora was telling me about her day tomorrow, saying she was going to lunch with Bettina. She then asked me if I remembered who Bettina was. I did not. She then went on to describe Bettina, expounding on the details of their connection, she explained to me that Bettina is the mother-in-law of the one of the twin daughters of the woman whose is the fraternal twin of Señora‘s sister-in-law. Got all that? Señora then added that Bettina is older than her.

Then I boldly went where no sane husband should go. I remarked to Señora that it is hard these days to find such a person, someone older than her.

As fortune would have it, the closest thing at hand was a sofa pillow, which she sent screaming my way at wrap speed. There was no need to duck, plus it gave me a shield in case other items were to follow.

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2024/09/192024/09/19

Purina Diet

I can not shop at Costco anymore!

Yesterday I was at Costco buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Necco, the Wonder Dog, which weighs 191 lbs. I was in the check-out line when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had an elephant?

So because I’m retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn’t have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added Continue reading “Purina Diet”

2024/09/182024/09/18

Quote of the Day – David Dunning

Quote of the Day… not actually daily, but whenever I encounter one I think worth sharing and there are not too many in sequence. I like quotes as they frequently distill a piece of wisdom into a brief passage, or make other points very succinctly – such as the witticisms of Oscar Wilde.

“An ignorant mind is precisely not a spotless, empty vessel, but one that’s filled with the clutter of irrelevant or misleading life experiences, theories, facts, intuitions, strategies, algorithms, heuristics, metaphors, and hunches that regrettably have the look and feel of useful and accurate knowledge. ” ~~ David Dunning

Oops… sounds like the interior of my cranial chamber.

And yeah that is the Dunning of the Dunning-Kruger effect. As summarized in Wikipedia: “In popular culture, the Dunning–Kruger effect is often misunderstood as a claim about general overconfidence of people with low intelligence instead of specific overconfidence of people unskilled at a particular task.”

To see more Quotes for Day, visit this link: Quotes for the Day

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2024/09/172024/09/17

Could YOU pass a citizenship test?

Years ago I knew a Turkish man who obtained US citizenship. Shortly after his induction ceremony, he told me about the test he had to take AND pass as part of his path to US citizenship. I remembering thinking at the time that I was not sure I could have passed that test, and I am from a generation that was required to take Civics in high school and then again in college. Plus for a while I majored in History, and I have always had an interest in the subject, especially the revolutionary period of American history.

All this came back to mind as there was an article on the da ‘net: Do you know the 3 branches of US government? Many don’t, leading to a push for civics education

In the article there is a link to a very short quiz that gives a small sampling of the type of questions on the citizenship exam. It also stated that the actual test was not multiple choice like the one connected to the news article. I managed to get all 10 correct, but, most likely, only because it was multiple choice.

Here is the link: Could YOU pass a citizenship test?

I am definitely of the opinion that all students in the USA should have to take Civics course before high school graduation as well as American History. While I am on the subject, why not Home Economics, not matter what your gender. They all definitely are needed in our quotidian lives. As an outsider looking in, I am not so sure all the super concentration of STEM subjects is benefiting our children or our country. I say this as a person with a science degree and a technology degree, and as someone who worked in these fields for most of their adult life.

Take my opinion and $2 and change, and you will be able to buy yourself a soda pop. Eso lo que hay.

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2024/09/16

Vanity Plate for the Day – GRAZI

Vanity Plate of the Day… not actually daily, but whenever I encounter one in the wild that I think worth sharing and there are not too many in sequence. When I was commuting from my home to downtown St. Louis and back, I was spending anywhere from an hour and half to two hours daily in rush hour traffic. I used the exercise of deciphering vanity plates to help pass the time… plus sometimes they are very clever and worth sharing.

GRAZI

This was on the back of an almost new Audi A5, not an inexpensive ride. Of course, grazie is Italian for thank you… or bless your pea-pickin’ little heart. I never remember exactly. They went with GRAZI I am betting because GRAZIE was probably taken.

Going with thank you, one wonders what the owner was thankful for, perhaps the luxury vehicle, perhaps a man bought this car for his wife and this was her way of expressing gratitude, perhaps…

To see more Vanity Plates of the Day use this link: Vanity Plates of the Day

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2024/09/142024/09/14

Sex-Mad Marsupial

This article from The Guardian popped up in my curated Google news feed: Week in wildlife in pictures: a rebellious kingfisher, golfing bobcats and a sex-mad marsupial

The caption for the sex-mad marsupial read:

A brush-tailed phascogale is cared for in Victoria, Australia. Also known as a tuan, the little mammal is in the running for the hotly contested marsupial of the year accolade. Experts believe it is in with a chance, thanks to the males’ remarkable mating habits. “Not a lot of people realise this is a species where the males literally mate themselves to death,” said Rachel Lowry, head of Bush Heritage Australia. “Once they start to discover the joys of copulation, they just keep mating. They forget to eat and then they drain their energy and they die”

The last part of the caption grabbed my attention and I was transported back more than 55 years. When I discovered the “joys of copulation”, if I could have, I would have easily followed this marsupial to the grave. I am so proud of myself. I actually found a turn of phrase that was not the crude one that kept popping into my mind.

Fortunately (unfortunately?) for me, as teenagers, it was frequently difficult to find the privacy we needed.

Now that I am a few years older, I imagine that shortly I will be worried about this activity sending me to my grave by a different route. The ticker is “okay” right now, but who knows how it will be in a few years.

Señora just reminded me that moderation is the key for most things.

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2024/09/132024/09/14

You Can’t Fix Stupid

“God grant me the serenity to accept stupid people,
the courage to not waste my time and energy on them,
and the wisdom to know that I can’t fix stupid.” ~~ Anonymous

I had an early doctor’s appointment Thursday after Tuesday’s presidential debate between Harris and Trump. The appointment was for 8 a.m., and I arrived a few minutes early as there are generally a few administrative tasks to complete before actually seeing the medical personnel.

My internist is very good about getting me back to an exam room on time although occasionally I have had to wait in there for the doctor after the nurse does her thing with vitals and nosy questions. Most of the other doctors I go to are not quite so prompt. This was the case Thursday morning.

I first noticed this pair of men as the elder Continue reading “You Can’t Fix Stupid”

2024/09/122024/09/12

Being a Bit of a Fashionista

Fashions come and fashions go. I am ready for jogger pants for men to go. I think it is one of the worst fashion trends to come along in a while, especially when paired with the no socks look. Of course, many of the current “fashion” trends leave me scratching my head. So many folks look like they could not be bothered to change out of their at home lounging clothes before going out into public, inflicting their fashion sense on the rest of us. I would not go back to Victorian times when folks were overly rigid about how one dressed when going out in public, but there is a balance in there somewhere.

I was returning home from the golf course in Illinois, and I made a stop at the Wal-Mart in South County, the one right next to the Mississippi River. It is a trippy place in Continue reading “Being a Bit of a Fashionista”