Monthly Archives: November 2011

The Devil’s Dictionary: Economy and Effect

Every now and then, it is good to revisit a classic, or even a curiosity from the past. The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce was originally published in newspaper installments from 1881 until 1906. You might be surprised how current many of the entries are.

For example, here is a definition for the word abasement. The first definition is Bierce’s. The second one is mine. From time to time, just as it was originally published, we will come back to The Devil’s Dictionary, for a look at it then and how it applies today. Click on Devil’s Dictionary in the tags below to bring up the other entries

Old definition:
Economy, n. Purchasing the barrel of whiskey that you do not need for the price of the cow that you cannot afford.

New definition:
Economy, n. Purchasing the house that you did not need for the inflated price that you could not reasonably qualify for, but did because the Wall Street banks wanted you to.

Old definition:
Effect, n. The second of two phenomena which always occur together in the same order. The first, called a Cause, is said to generate the other — which is no more sensible than it would be for one who has never seen a dog except in pursuit of a rabbit to declare the rabbit the cause of the dog.

New definition:
Effect, n. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc. After it, therefore because of it. You bought the house you couldn’t afford because a loan you couldn’t understand and then the economy sank. Therefore, the sinking of the economy is your fault. Also known as the Fox News / Republicans-to-the-Occupy-Wall-Street-people interpretation of economic events.

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Filed under Ambrose Bierce, Definition, Devil's Dictionary, economy, effect, humor, satire

Blathering idiot: I woke to turkeys on full parade

I woke to turkeys on full parade,
A dark flock of birds on a chocolate promenade.
I was sure it was a trip to a tryptophanic place
Where there existed another wild turkey race.

One was cross-eyed, one was four eyed.
One, I saw, gave me the evil eye.
Yet these fowl could not be what they seemed,
Full of butter and chocolate and maybe even cream.

With candy corn beaks and truffle cheeks,
one stepped forward and started to speak.
“We come to you from a way off land,
We have a proposal we hope you find grand.

Chocalate Turkeys

Chocolate turkeys on parade


“We want you to pardon one of us today.
That way we can be free to go our way.”
“Wait, wait a minute,” I then said.
And I saw their eyes get all full of dread.

“If I pardon one, what will happen to the rest?”
The cupcake turkeys did their best
Not to laugh at my stupidity
But an answer to my question, they wouldn’t give me.

So I picked up one and ate him straight away.
Then I ate another before he could say:
“We come in peace, don’t you know.
We came to you, because we’ve no place to go.”

I gobbled and gobbled until I had my fill.
Then the three I hadn’t eaten stood very still.
With chocolate frosting smeared across my face,
I’m sure they wished they’d skipped the human race.

“Which one of you do I pardoned?” I said with a leer.
They stared at me as if I hadn’t been clear.
“I will eat two and save one.
“That is how a Turkey’s pardon’s done.”

The three immediately tried to scramble.
But cupcake turkeys can barely amble.
And as far as they got was the edge of my bed,
Where they had everything to fear. One had lost its head.

But of these turkeys, I could eat no more.
Because my stomach was incredibly sore.
It was rumbling, grumbling, beginning to roar
And felt as if the turkeys inside were trying to soar.

So I give you this warning, should they come your way.
One headless turkey and two friends dismayed.
Enjoy a little less of these chocolate treats.
Unless you want to feel like you’ve been eat.

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Filed under blathering idiot, choclate, humor, poem, poetry, story poem, turkey

Toward the No

Boots of Failure

Boots of Failure

I run toward No
the way others flock to Yes.
The boots of failure.

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Filed under boots, failure, haiku, poem, poetry

Fresh, hot A’s

Lauren eating a doughnut

Fresh, hot A's earn a visit

School work drips rewards.
Fresh, hot A’s earn a visit.
Report card doughnuts.

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Filed under doughnut, haiku, humor, poem, poetry, School work

The Bagel Dilemma and the Eight Year Old Philosopher

A watched bagel does not toast

The bagel dilemma

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Filed under bagel, Cartoon, eight year old philosopher, humor, Philosopher

Doctor, doctor, give me the news…

Don’t know how many of these are factual, but they all sound true.

EMBARRASSING MEDICAL EXAMS

Breathe deep
At the beginning of my shift I placed a stethoscope on an elderly and slightly deaf female patient’s anterior chest wall.

“Big breaths,” I instructed.

“Yes, they used to be,” replied the patient.

Submitted by Dr. Richard Byrnes, Seattle, WA

Wild ride
While acquainting myself with a new elderly patient, I asked, “How long have you been bedridden?”

After a look of complete confusion she answered, “Why, not for about twenty years — when my husband was alive.”

Submitted by Dr. Steven Swanson, Corvallis, OR

Not to my taste
I was performing rounds at the hospital one morning and while checking up on a man I asked, “So how’s your breakfast this morning?”

“It’s very good except for the Kentucky Jelly. I can’t seem to get used to the taste,” Bob replied.

I then asked to see the jelly and Bob produced A foil packet labeled “KY Jelly.”

Submitted by Dr. Leonard Kransdorf, Detroit, MI

Lawn Care
A nurse was on duty in the Emergency Room when a young woman with purple hair styled into a punk rocker Mohawk, sporting a variety of tattoos, and wearing strange clothing, entered. It was quickly determined that the patient had acute appendicitis, so she was scheduled for immediate surgery. When she was completely disrobed on the operating table, the staff noticed that her pubic hair had been dyed green and above it there was a tattoo that read: ”Keep off the grass.”

Once the surgery was completed, the surgeon wrote a short note on the patient’s dressing, which said “Sorry . . . had to mow the lawn.”

Submitted by RN (no name)

AND FINALLY…

Whistle while you work
As a new, young MD doing his residency in OB. I was quite embarrassed when performing female pelvic exams… To cover my embarrassment I had unconsciously formed a habit of whistling softly.

The middle-aged lady in leopard print bikini panties upon whom I was performing this exam suddenly burst out laughing and further embarrassing me.

I looked up from my work and sheepishly said, “I’m sorry. Was I tickling you? “

She replied with tears running down her cheeks from laughing so hard . . .

“No, doctor but the song you were whistling was . . . ‘I wish I was an Oscar Mayer Wiener.’”’

Dr. wouldn’t submit his name….

Oohhh, and one more…

Baby’s First (Grand) Doctor Visit
A woman and a baby were in the doctor’s examining room, waiting for the doctor to come in for the baby’s first exam.

The doctor arrived, and examined the baby, checked his weight, and being a little concerned, asked if the baby was breast-fed or bottle-fed.

“Breast-fed,” she replied.

“Well, strip down to your waist,” the doctor ordered.

She did. He pinched her nipples, pressed, kneaded, and rubbed both breasts for a while in a very professional and detailed examination.

Motioning to her to get dressed, the doctor said, “No wonder this baby is underweight. You don’t have any milk.”

“I know,” she said, “I’m his Grandma, but I’m glad I came!!”

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Filed under doctor, humor, medical, true story

Thoughts of the blathering idiot: Change

The blathering idiot was emptying his pants pockets when he came across some change he didn’t know he had. He stared at the pennies, nickels, and dimes and he thought about the nature of change:

Be an agent of change, unless, of course, you change your mind.

Of course, you could be so poor that you can’t change your mind.

Change is inevitable; it’s the folding money I’m not so sure about.

Count your change and then count your blessings. Whichever one is greater, that’s where you are: blessed and broke, or cursed with a lot of loose coins weighing down your pockets.

If there was one thing about me I could change it would be … oh, never mind, I’ve changed my mind.

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Filed under absurdity, blathering idiot, change, humor, puns, word play

Question of the day: can the Blinde lead the blind?

Blinde leading the blind

Hmmm ... wonder what marketing genuis thought up this?

Would you buy glasses from a company that promotes being “Blinde”?

Are they blind to something? Something they don’t see?

As a person who has worn glasses most of his life, I don’t get this. Without my glasses I am “blind” (very nearsighted), and now with my glasses I can be “Blinde”?

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Filed under absurdity, eye glasses, humor, photograph, question of the day

Glimpses of love

Glimpses of love

Some things endure fall

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Filed under autumn, fall, haiku, love, poem, poetry

Apropos of nothing at all: To split or not to split

“Honest, prof,” the physics major said. “It was either split my infinities or split my infinitives, and to boldly chose, I choose the later.”

“The structure of a sentence may not be as wondrous as that of the universe,” the English professor said, doing his best to keep his umbrage in check. “But let me assure you, young Einstein, that to split your infinitives instead of your infinities has forced me to put an end to your escapades with an un-split grade of ‘F.’”

From that day forward, the physics student split infinitives no more, going to and fro, but boldly no more.

So what moral can you take from this little tale of woe?

Split your wood, split your pants, split your atoms, and if you must, split your mind, but to split your infinitives can lead to an infinitely bad time.

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Filed under absurdity, apropos of nothing at all, humor, word play