13 Thursday: Just Hanging Out
1. What’s up with hunters that wear camouflage clothes, topped off with a bright blaze orange hat? Do they want to be seen or not?
2. I can tell it’s Christmas when I drive by a bunch of tires holding a tarp over hay bales and mistake them for wreaths.
3. At the book signing event I attended last weekend, I was snapping a photo of David St. Lawrence with his camera while he was instructing me how to use it. “Hold it like you would a gun,” he said. “Yeah, like I’ve ever held a gun!” I answered.
4. I want President Bush to have a dream like the one that Ebenezer Scrooge had… I want him to be haunted by the ghosts of Iraqi children who cry out … But mankind is your business … After I posted my “Dream for President Bush” poem last week (written in November 2002) it got picked up at Crooks and Liars, creating an increase of email comments and traffic on my blog. The last time I checked over there it had 152 comments. Half a dozen other political blogs also picked it up.
5. Dicken’s Christmas Carol is to Christmas what Arlo Guthrie’s Alice Restaurant is to Thanksgiving.
6. Politically correct Santa can’t smoke a pipe anymore, and there’s talk of him having to lose weight and not saying HO HO because some people think it sounds too much like the slang for “Whore.” On top of that, I saw a story on the nightly news a few nights ago about people making trips to the North Pole to see it before it’s gone.
7. The fact that Joy is in the word Jolly is not lost on me.
8. Could sputtering be an alternate plural of puttering the way slack could be for lack, or the way pets can become pests when there are too many of them?
9. Another sign of global warming: Joe and I raking leaves on Sunday instead of shoveling snow.
10. Does passion fruit flirt? Are elderberries old? Have you ever poured a watermelon and drank it by the gallon? So I brought my Fruit Loops poem to my writer’s workshop. After reading it out loud, one of the members joked, “What has happened to you?” The group renamed the poem “A Slamming Fruit Jam.” I was reminded that I left out persimmons and someone wondered if a pumpkin should be considered a fruit. I rewrote the ending HERE. (And yes, June, I will be reading it at the Spoken Word Open Mic this Saturday at the Café Del Sol.)
11. Apparently, Carly Simon revealed to Dick Ebersol who she was singing about in the song “You’re So Vain.” Ebersol won a lunch with Carly Simon in an auction for charity in which she agreed to reveal who it was. She allowed him to give the rest of us one clue. He has an E in his name. Believe it or not I learned about this while researching fruit for the poem mentioned above because. And if you know the words to the song you will know what fruit was mentioned in the song.
12. Have you ever noticed that whenever Oprah breaks for a commercial and she says “We’ll be right back,” she always says it twice?
13. Have you ever noticed that whenever Oprah breaks for a commercial and she says “We’ll be right back,” she always says it twice?
Thursday headquarters is here. My other 13’s are here. View more 13 Thursday’s here.
December 13th, 2007 9:27 am
“A Slamming Fruit Jam” is a good title for your poem, which is awesome!
December 13th, 2007 9:33 am
#1 – yeah, really!
And I’ve never noticed the Oprah thing. I’ll have to pay more attention to what she says rather than if she’s gained a few pounds or not – LOL!
December 13th, 2007 10:18 am
While I digagree with your political views, I do believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
I am glad I could introduce you to William Sledd, he is quite funny.
Thanks for visiting my TT, happy Thursday.
December 13th, 2007 10:25 am
Apricot.
12 and 13 made me giggle, I have noticed that, yes.
And for #4, that is awesome!
Happy Thursday!
December 13th, 2007 10:53 am
#6 PISSES ME OFF!!! That is such BULLSHITE about Santa! Sorry for yelling but….GRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
December 13th, 2007 11:19 am
You never cease to amuse, and amaze me! Happy Thursday my Virginia neighbor!
December 13th, 2007 11:30 am
Actually, I think Dick Cheney needs a visit from the four ghosts, with the Jacob Marley (I wrote Bob Marley, but had to change it) being played by Ronald Reagan. But on second thought, he’d be more like The Grinch, except that when his heart expands, it would actually burst because it’s too damaged.
December 13th, 2007 12:17 pm
Your TTs are always so entertaining and full of surprises!
Happy thirteening!
Happy thirteening!
🙂
December 13th, 2007 12:25 pm
Interesting questions.
BTW, regarding #1: the answer is yes and no. NO, they don’t want to be seen by the deer. YES, they want to be seen by other people with guns. Apparently deer are color blind, so they see orange as grey. Hence, an orange cap. The deer can’t really “see” it, but other hunters can.
(sorry if that’s more than you really wanted to know!)
December 13th, 2007 12:28 pm
1. Congrats on your Bush poem being picked up by so many. I’m glad…the more who read it the better!!
2. I’ve heard the subject of “You’re So Vain” is Warren Beatty. I always like hearing the song. It’s fun to sing.
3. I never noticed about Oprah’s double talk, but I thought that puts you in good company when you leave double comments on my blog.
Another great 13!
December 13th, 2007 12:36 pm
Momhubert: Then the real question is, why are they so decked out in camouflage if the deer are color blind? I mean, I’m sure there’s a good answer and my hunting husband probably gave me one already, but it just seems weird to me.
December 13th, 2007 12:56 pm
The PC Police really need to just go away now. A skinny Santa with no “ho-ho-ho”? What’s next, being forced to say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” because it might offend??
Oh wait…
December 13th, 2007 1:20 pm
I know what you mean about comments and whatnot about political machinations… I get more hate mail about my “Question Authority” and “Don’t Ignore Science” and “Facts beats Faith” posts than anything else! It can be quite disheartening…
We’ll be right back…
We’ll be right back…
December 13th, 2007 1:24 pm
I know what you mean about comments and whatnot about political machinations… I get more hate mail about my “Question Authority” and “Don’t Ignore Science” and “Facts beats Faith” posts than anything else! It can be quite disheartening…
We’ll be right back…
We’ll be right back…
December 13th, 2007 1:56 pm
Funny comment about Oprah. And could Carly Simon have been more vague with her clue?? I remember reading somewhere that there were rumors it was Warren Beatty. I guess that theory still holds. And PC always goes too far. Always brings out the contrarian in me. Grrr.
December 13th, 2007 3:54 pm
I want to read your poem’s new ending, but when you said HERE in #10, you didn’t make it a link:
“The group renamed the poem “A Slamming Fruit Jam.” I was reminded that I left out persimmons and someone wondered if a pumpkin should be considered a fruit. I rewrote the ending HERE.
December 13th, 2007 4:05 pm
Congrats on the poem traffic! That’s very cool!
December 13th, 2007 4:15 pm
I fixed it, Bonnie. Thanks for catching that.
December 13th, 2007 4:40 pm
Made me smile as always. Didn’t notice that Oprah was a repeater – I’ll have to pay extra attention next time I watch.
Great name for the poem! Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by! XINE
December 13th, 2007 5:09 pm
7 and 8 are amusing surprises to me, #2 I know what you mean. lol your 12 and 13.
December 13th, 2007 6:03 pm
Okay, so #6 cracked me up because it seemed so ludicrous. And then, reading comments from others, I wondered if you were really serious. Eeew! I’ll take my pipe-smoking, ho-ho-ho-ing Santa any day.
December 13th, 2007 7:50 pm
I have noticed that about Oprah, and find it curious. Mr. kenju says, at the end of a phone call, “Bye-bye, now….Bye-bye now.” (and he’s a Yankee!!)
December 13th, 2007 8:36 pm
I loved the first one and saw that another commenter gave us the reason for the orange hat.
Have you heard the song, Hey, Mr. President by Pink and the Indigo girls? I think you might like it. Now I have to watch Oprah and listen for the repeat.
Thank you for stopping by.
December 13th, 2007 9:44 pm
I never ever noticed that about Oprah….odd.
I think Bush is too dumb and empty to dream.
December 13th, 2007 10:28 pm
Oprah will probably never do it again now that I pointed it out! but Kenju has wondered about it too, so I’m not the only one. I used to repeat twice things I said to my sons when they were little.
December 14th, 2007 12:07 am
Your Bush poem is brilliant!
I can’t say I’ve noticed that about Oprah, mainly because I have never watched her show!
December 14th, 2007 12:14 am
Hehehehehe on 12 & 13. Great list!
December 14th, 2007 12:23 am
LOL, LOL….I LOVE your 12 & 13….!
And I think it is FABULOUS that your Poem to Bush us having sich a widespread response…It Deserves It My Deae Colleen…It is Brilliant!!!
What HAS happened to you??? LOL! I mean, what did that person mean by that?
Personally I find you PEREFECT! Another great TT!
December 14th, 2007 12:27 am
Well, I brought in a rap song at the writer’s circle before and then the fruit poem which was like a nursery rhyme word play. Both were different than what I usually bring to work on. He was only kidding. And my answer was: I’ve always been like this. I guess you’re just getting to know me better.
December 15th, 2007 8:28 am
Congrats on getting picked up by C&L – nice work. It *was* a good poem. I think the camo is because the deer *can* see an outline of a person and the camo helps confuse them a bit. Or so my hunting hubby says, anyway.
December 15th, 2007 11:54 am
#7&8 — you’re such a wordy, nerdy girl…or is that nerdy, wordy girl?
December 15th, 2007 7:16 pm
I don’t know if we’d recognize (or like) a skinny Santa and we’d have to change the lyrics of so many holiday songs. Maybe we should leave the jolly old soul alone. He works hard, spreads joy and seems indestructible as is. I have noticed this about Oprah and wondered why no one calls her on it … but I did have to pick myself off the floor after reading #12 & 13 to type this comment. Thanks … I needed a good laugh today.
Hugs and blessings,