Category: General

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The Friday Fives

1. Which industry is more corrupt than anyone’s ready to admit?

We know it is kind of corrupt (Trump, anyone?) but commercial real estate is hardly regulated and any existing regulations are rarely fully enforced.

2. What is an industry/profession that has a stellar deserved reputation?

Nursing. I don’t think this is at all controversial – nurses are angels.

3. How many languages do you speak? And what is your level in each?

Three:

English, incredibly fluent.
French, about as fluent as a fourth grader.
Latin, a total novice

Thanks to Duo-lingo.

4. What’s something from your childhood that kids today will never experience?

A television/media device with no remote control – and you to get up off you ass an go over to the television to change the channel.

5. What’s preventing you from fighting crime(in spandex) today?

It was really windy out today – that kept me inside. Today the criminals won because of my pollen allergies.

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Homer and Lisa Simpson

NYTimes 10/2/2025 on the occasion of the the publication of Pynchon’s new book: “Shadow Ticket?

LISA: Dad, did you read “Gravity’s Rainbow” yet, the Thomas Pynchon masterpiece? He’s what I want to be when I grow up — a famous literary recluse. Just imagine being speculated about by the most consequential people in the world: English literature grad students.

HOMER: Sweetie, I really wanted to read it. But you know I don’t like to read. My eyes get so tired going right, right, right, then, ugh … left. Plus from the title I thought “Gravity’s Rainbow” would be about Skittles. It didn’t seem to be, so I took a break about halfway through.

LISA: You made it halfway through the book?

HOMER: Halfway through the first line.

LISA: OK, I thought you might struggle with it, so I got you a pop-up version too.

HOMER: Sorry, pop-up books are way too hard. If something’s going to pop up at me it better be from a toaster. Plus you have to figure out how to get the pages to lie back down flat again. I’m no engineer.

LISA: I thought you were a nuclear engineer.

HOMER: That’s more about pushing buttons. Or not pushing buttons. I can’t remember which. So if you had to choose a passage from the book to appear in The New York Times, what would it be?

LISA: It would have to be this quote about power in America: “All the animals, the plants, the minerals, even other kinds of men, are being broken and reassembled every day, to preserve an elite few …”

HOMER: Interesting. Did you know there’s a green Skittle? Do you think this Pynchon guy knows what it tastes like?

LISA: Another great conversation, Dad.

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The Friday Fives

What are things that happen in movies that are totally unrealistic?

There is always just enough ammunition in the gun and amateurs are always good shots.

What plot device used to be in movies all the time and you just don’t see anymore?

Every gun had a silencer. Crashed cars always exploded and there was always quicksand.

What was the number one movie in your senior year of high school? 

E. T.  The extraterrestrial.

What is your favorite documentary film?

The multi-part music documentary “The Blues” by Martin Scorsese.

You have 30 seconds to ruin a wedding. What do you do?

I am off to a wedding this evening. Let’s see, hmm, I guess a kind of Dustin Hoffman moment in The Graduate and pounon the windows and shout “She’s mine!”

(This week’s post was typed on the WordPress app on tablet and and I can’t find it a way to fix the formatting)

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The Friday Fives

1. What are things just not spoken in polite company?

President DonaldTrump.

2. If you could tell him one thing, what would you say?

Isn’t it just time that you just went away?

3. Who will replace him?

That is difficult. He is a cult leader and there are usually no cult leader replacements When the leader fades away the cult whithers. Many will step up but remember he has had over 60 years building this image and developing these self-marketing instincts combines with his shear pathological narcissism. There will be many who try (and have already tried) but they will be seen as the charlatons they are. His act is alreay tiring, even on those who voted for him.

4. How will this all end?

A severe caridac incident due to a calcified vascualr system.

5. Why him again?

He ran on a palate of lies and his only intention was to stay out of prison and to exact revenge. And, our nation is racists and sexist and wouldn’t vote for a black woman to be president.

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The Friday Fives

1. If we had to create a single flag to represent Earth on the galactic stage, what would that flag look like?

It would include a big blue ball orbited by cats, bacon, and a computer connected to the internet.

2. What is a song that sounds great with headphones?

Anything by Jimi Hendrix.

3. Have you ever used a microwave at other than full power for a certain amount of time? What was your experience?

All the time. That is how I cook rice.

In a covered glass casserole dish, load it up with a cup of water, two cups of rice, some salt, and a pat of butter, then microwave it for 22 minutes at 70% strength. It turns out perfect.

4. What songs remind you of high school?

REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity album

5. What has gradually disappeared over the last 20 years with people realizing it?

Manual shift transmissions and ashtrays.