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  • mistermuse 6:45 pm on March 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply  

    YES, THE GOP IS FULL OF S 

    In case you, my fellow Americans, haven’t noticed or have been hibernating for the bitter part of the past decade, the GOP is no longer the party of Ronald Reagan, or even of Richard Nixon. It’s no longer (except in name only) even the Republican Party — it has unquestionably become the Trumpism Party, and will remain so until sanity and integrity say enough is enough, and Trumpism is reduced to a disharmonious, petty cult. How long will that tune take? It LIES IN THE TIME it takes Trump supporters to look in the mirror and ask themselves: How Long Will You Sing….

    …and I’m guessing that ain’t gonna happen anytime soon, even if their Great White Hope, Donald Jehovah Trump, is put on trial(s) and convicted of breaking laws he’s above. Meanwhile, back at the waiting room, I thought I’d compile a sort of sordid list of “S” words the GOP is full of, just for the (until) HELL (freezes over) OF IT:

    sanctimony
    scalawags
    scams
    scoundrels
    scum
    scurvy
    seditionists
    sickos
    skunks
    slanderers
    sleazebags
    sophists
    speciousness
    spite
    spuriousness
    subterfuge
    suppressers
    suckers

    There, of course, comes to mind another “s” word I could mention that the GOP is full of, but why stoop to their level?


     
    • The Coastal Crone 6:54 pm on March 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      How long will it take – indeed!

      Liked by 2 people

    • mistermuse 7:11 pm on March 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I probably won’t live that long (I’m an octogenarian).

      Liked by 1 person

    • Read Between the Lyme 7:47 pm on March 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Great list! How about slugs πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 9:45 pm on March 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        A better word might be SLUGGARD (if defined as a slow-moving or lazy person in the intellectual, rather than physical, sense). It appears it may take forever for the GOP to arrive at a “come-to-Jesus” moment about Trump.

        Liked by 1 person

    • jilldennison 1:27 am on March 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Good compilation of ‘S’ words … I wonder if we could do the same for the other 25 letters of the alphabet? Sigh. I think people are incapable of looking in the mirror and seeing the error of their ways, for they are convinced that they are the victims, that they must fear ‘other’, and that Donald Trump is their salvation. As long as he walks the earth and has a voice, they will blindly follow.

      Liked by 3 people

      • mistermuse 9:26 am on March 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Polls indicate that Trump commands a flock of sheep approximating 30% to 33% of voters, but a much larger percentage of states are deep red or lean red — which is what decides the winner in America’s electoral college system….especially taking into account that Republicans control the statehouses and legislatures which can rig things in their favor in those states. The rest of America had better get wise to that reality, or Trumpism will live on and democracy will not survive.

        Liked by 2 people

        • jilldennison 1:35 pm on March 23, 2023 Permalink

          The Electoral College is one of the two worst things in the U.S. Constitution (the other being the 2nd Amendment) in my view. It might have worked if humans were basically honest, but as it is, the EC is manipulated through gerrymandering and, as you say, dishonest people in positions of power in state governments. I think there is a very real possibility that your last sentence will, in fact, come to pass and then once people wake up, it will be too late.

          Liked by 2 people

    • masercot 5:34 am on March 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I stooped to a level, once; and, threw my back out in the worst way.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Rivergirl 8:31 am on March 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I may not have agreed with Republicans in the past, but at least I respected their side. These days? The decent fiscally Conservative party of old has let themselves be turned into the cult of Trump. It’s horrifying… and almost beyond belief.

      Liked by 1 person

    • mistermuse 9:49 am on March 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      You said it, Rg. It just goes to show how easily, in a relatively short period of time, a ‘charismatic’ despot like Hitler or Trump can turn millions of individuals into an unthinking herd of true believers.

      Like

    • Ashley 12:42 pm on March 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I always learn so much from your posts and also about US politics! From over here, it is worrying to see the trumpisst movement causing so much harm to US & western democracy! Meanwhile here in the old west we’re having to deal with the consequences of the new order: pukin-ping!

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 1:57 pm on March 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        This old guy never heard of “pukin-ping.”
        It must be a generational thing. πŸ˜‰

        Like

        • Ashley 2:06 pm on March 23, 2023 Permalink

          Now, Mister M, I’m surprised your newspapers aren’t full of this dance partnership. I refuse to call VP by his real name and recently he’s in cahoots with that Far East chap.

          Liked by 1 person

    • obbverse 4:23 pm on March 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      You got the scoop Right today MM. His misfit followers don’t seem to be able to perceive the difference between his usual gross whopping lies and his far rarer mild exaggerations. But they all wait in thrall, ready to luxuriate in the steady unending stream of egregious toxic misinformation that is emitted from the bowels of the Great White Wail.
      Hmmm, and I wasn’t going to comment further on that criminal-in-waiting. Oh well. Such is life. Which, in a perfect world Trump would get. He at least deserves eight to ten.
      On the shi- flip side, even in an imperfect world I can’t bear and- don’t dare- consider him getting another four year term.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 6:31 pm on March 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        It’s bad enough (and even forgivable) that many support Trump out of gullibility There is no excuse for those who do so out of a lust for total power at any price. They have zero integrity and no place in a democracy.

        Liked by 1 person

    • magickmermaid 5:52 pm on March 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Senseless and stupid come to mind. πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 6:42 pm on March 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I considered listing the latter, but decided not to because I just published a post titled THE STUPID SECTION on March 4th. I simply overlooked “Senseless” and I agree it belongs. Thanks!

        Liked by 1 person

    • ryinger77 9:50 pm on March 24, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Some polls claim 69% of the people think woke is a good thing. It is a mistake to think it superior to it’s opposite sleep. Nightmares must dominate theirs but dreams only come true when you are awake. Woke happens around 10 AM, wake happens at six that’s the difference. Perfect timing on the music. The end of reading and listening ended simultaneously. Peace

      Liked by 1 person

    • 100 Country Trek 6:48 am on March 25, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      How long it will take indeed. Thanks

      Liked by 1 person

  • mistermuse 5:46 pm on March 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply  

    BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU FISH FOR 

    When I was a lad of nine or ten,
    I had two uncles who were fishermen.
    One actually fished, the other told fish tales,
    Like the one about the day he caught two whales.

    Being still wet behind the ears,
    I was into believing everything one hears.
    Naturally, I now know his whale of a tale was in fun,
    And I’ve come to believe he probably caught only one.

    Yes, there was a time when fishermen were almost as notorious for telling whoppers as were politicians. Nowadays, of course, it’s no contest….but both continue to have one thing in common: the gullible still fall hook, line, and sucker for their troller whoppers. Fortunately, friends, you know as sure as my real name is George Washington that you can rely on my never telling a lie (though I have been suspected of writing one occasionally)….speaking of which, have you heard the one about the big one that got away? In fact, it’s gotten off the hook so many times, I’m not sure if it’s a trout or a Trump.

    Well, you can’t win them all. Let’s face it: for some fish, life is ova before it begins. So, by all that’s holy, mackerel, isn’t it time to cast off the lies that bind and get reel — why put up with a never-ending pain in the bass? Wouldn’t you rather be gone fishin’?

    BTW, did I ever tell you about the herring I caught that was hard of hearing? I asked if I could buy it a herring aid, but got no reply, so I ate it. Served it right.


     
    • Bruce @ walkingoffthechessboard 5:59 pm on March 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      My grandfather absolutely loved fishing. He tried to get me to enjoy it, but it just didn’t “catch” on. I can say that in the times I fished with him, he always reported back to my grandmother accurate sizes of the ones that got away. He was as honest a man as any I’ve ever known. He would have made a lousy politician, I figure. πŸ˜€

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 6:27 pm on March 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I had an uncle who was an avid fisherman, but like you, it didn’t “catch on” with me.
        Thanks for the comment!

        Liked by 1 person

    • magickmermaid 6:05 pm on March 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Gilbert & Sullivan are always fin, er, fun! Mermaid-approved! A reelly great post! πŸ˜€ Was it a red herring?

      Liked by 2 people

    • obbverse 6:17 pm on March 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Herring aid? That joke’s off the scales MM.

      Liked by 2 people

    • willedare 7:40 pm on March 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Your word play brought a smile to my face! Thank you!

      Liked by 3 people

    • JosieHolford 9:36 pm on March 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      The cynical guide to how to get ahead. (Adapt for your specific circumstances.)

      Now landsmen all, whoever you may be,
      If you want to rise to the top of the tree,
      If your soul isn’t fettered to an office stool,
      Be careful to be guided by this golden rule.
      (Be careful to be guided by this golden rule.)
      Stick close to your desks and never go to sea,
      And you all may be rulers of the Queen’s Navee!

      Liked by 1 person

    • mistermuse 10:41 pm on March 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Now bloggers all, whoever you may be,
      If you want to rise to the top of parody,
      Stick close to me to achieve your wish,
      And you all may be foolers of the King’s English!
      πŸ˜€

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 11:52 pm on March 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      A herring aid? Pretty funny! 😁

      Liked by 1 person

    • jilldennison 2:26 am on March 14, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Hey George! Good to see you again! Oh, that one that got away … I caught ‘im the other day. He was’na a trout nor a trump, but a Giant Trevally! I let ‘im go, though, ’cause I’m no cannibal! Or … would that be … pescibal?

      Liked by 1 person

    • Don Ostertag 11:21 am on March 14, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      The worse thing about fishing is when a darn fish actually gets hooked and you have to break the peaceful mood you are in to release the fish.

      Liked by 1 person

    • annieasksyou 10:13 pm on March 14, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      “…ova before it’s begun”? I think you need penance for penning that one.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Elizabeth 11:54 am on March 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I was often accused of “fishing for compliments.” My father also taught us to never “rise to the bait” when an argument was in sight. As for songs, my favorite was Three Little Fishies. “Down in the meadow in a little bitty pool….”

      Liked by 1 person

    • mistermuse 3:02 pm on March 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for the comment. My previous post included a clip of Kay Kyser, which reminds me that he and his band made a hit recording of “Three Little Fishees’ in 1939:

      Liked by 1 person

    • masercot 6:11 am on March 16, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      This song featured prominently in an episode of Three’s Company…

      Liked by 1 person

    • 100 Country Trek 10:33 pm on March 16, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for sharing this Idea. Thanks Anita

      Liked by 1 person

  • mistermuse 12:30 am on March 5, 2023 Permalink | Reply  

    THE STUPID SECTION 

    As we approach “March Madness” (college basketball’s NCAA tournament), I’ll be fan-atically viewing various games — especially my favorite team’s game(s). Basketball fans know that a time-honored college game sideshow is the antics (like raucous home team bias and trying to distract the visiting team’s free throw shooters) of the “student section”– which, logically enough, leads me to ‘post’ this piece about a time-dishonored sideshow of political games: the antics of the “stupid section” (in particular, the congressional GOP STUPID SECTION).

    The current members of that section may seem oblivious to the stupidity of their antics, but evidently they’re just as shameless as they are stupid (and more about showboating than being serious about proving their points). Unless you’re foreign to American politics, you know the names of these losers: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jim Jordan, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, and the true ha ha freshman and boldfaced liar of the class, Mr. I CAN’T (help but) TELL A LIE GEORGE “Washington” SANTOS. There are, of course, many other such basket cases….but you’ve suffered enough.

    Frank-ly (and Nancy-ly), there is a much more winning way to do somethin’ stupid:

    So, is there any hope that those congressional nincompoops will change their tune and learn to become wise to themselves? The only chance I see is if they transfer from Ignoramus University to the Kollege of Musical Knowledge….though I have my doubts that they can pass the entrance exam:

    OK, Kyser — they’re all yours. You have my symphony….er, sympathy.

     
    • josephurban 7:48 am on March 5, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      If you think we’re in trouble now… wait till they get through with it…. …….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSsUoxlSADk

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 10:26 am on March 5, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        If that scene from DUCK SOUP doesn’t warn us that we’re sitting ducks in hot water for what the GOP is cooking up for us, I don’t know what will. As a reward for your timely admonition, I offer….

        Liked by 1 person

    • willedare 11:44 am on March 5, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I sometimes wonder what could possibly have happened to these people as children/teenagers/young adults to have damaged them so severely that they’d behave this way as grownups…

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 2:32 pm on March 5, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        There are no doubt many factors which play into why people turn out the way they do, the most powerful perhaps being parental upbringing and cultural influences. But apart from that, IMHO, sometimes one thing (such as a special teacher or a traumatic experience, can have a profound effect for better or worse). Remember the old saying: “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.”

        Liked by 1 person

    • Don Ostertag 12:51 pm on March 5, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I remember there was a weekly radio show called It Pays To Be Ignorant. Now that is a daily show renamed The News of the Day.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 2:48 pm on March 5, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I remember that radio show as well (I included a clip from it in a recent post). Nowadays, it might be called The Trumpism Show.

        Liked by 2 people

    • magickmermaid 2:36 pm on March 6, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Stupid doesn’t even begin to describe those losers! The word “dangerous” comes to mind (as well as others that I will politely not add here). I love the Joseph, Joseph song!

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 4:04 pm on March 6, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        “Joseph Joseph” was a big hit for the Andrews Sisters back in the 1940s. I was going to show that clip until i came across the one above, which I love too!

        Liked by 1 person

    • 100 Country Trek 11:22 pm on March 6, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Hopefully we will past our time in trouble. Let’s move forward. Anita

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 2:10 am on March 7, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        It’s hard to move forward when MAGA Trumpists want to take the country backward, but let’s give it “the old college try.”

        Liked by 1 person

    • Bruce @ walkingoffthechessboard 5:44 pm on March 8, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Yay for March Madness. I’m “warming up” watching the conference tournaments now. Seeing Frank & Nancy here was definitely a trip back in time!

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 6:29 pm on March 8, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks for your comment. Those who don’t go back that far in time may not know that Nancy was Frank’s daughter, not his wife. She is now 82 — the same age as Frank when he died.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Bruce @ walkingoffthechessboard 10:14 pm on March 8, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I never thought about that but, yeah, there probably are a bunch of folks who don’t know she’s his daughter…and she’s 82 now? Wow. Time marches on…

      Liked by 1 person

    • Mark Petruska 1:18 pm on March 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      You couldn’t find a stupider section with that lineup if you tried.

      I have never gotten into college basketball. Once, my employer sponsored a March Madness bracket tournament and I entered just for fun. Good thing I adopted that attitude, because I was eliminated on day one.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 6:46 pm on March 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Your comment reminded me that I once won a March Madness office pool. I haven’t won anything since, but I’ve been retired so long that I never will (unless I win the lottery, which isn’t likely, since I don’t play).

        Like

    • Richard Reeve 4:49 am on March 18, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      It’s a river that flows into the Beaverkill in Roscoe and the combined force connects with the upper Delaware in Hancock. Your sense of these powerful places is ridiculous. Please go away.

      Liked by 1 person

  • mistermuse 11:53 pm on February 27, 2023 Permalink | Reply  

    A PEER IN THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR 

    True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.” –Kurt Vonnegut

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Frankly, my dear friends, I don’t give the above quote a lot of codger cogitation, because to a geezer like me, such a discovery is ancient history. For one thing, I’m so old that most of my high school classmates are no doubt dead by now (as is Kurt Vonnegut). What’s more unsettling is when I think about the class of living nincompoops who seem hell-bent on ruining the country as they lust to run the country. Is it any wonder that I tend to look back with nostalgia at the GODs (Good Old Days) Before Trump….even though I know what appears in the rear-view mirror wasn’t always as heavenly as it’s cracked up to be. Still,

    So I’m putting BLAME IT ALL ON THE MIRROR ON THE WALL (my last post) in the rear-view mirror, and looking at….

    Yes, friends, I may be a graybeard, but back in the day, getting my beard shaved and my hair cut cost but two bits, which is twenty-five cents any way you cut it. OK, twenty-five cents won’t get you much of a haircut today, but I no longer have much hair.

    So, when you’re old and gray and look back this way, I wonder what you’ll say about what you see today….and the price you’ll pay.

     
    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 1:41 am on February 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      One of my classmates has indeed been PM (I guess that officially makes me old, as if I didn’t know already). He was mostly crap at it, and I voted against him, three times. Finally got him out through the door in 2015 and voted in someone a decade younger than me who’s also crap at it. No surprise there, although I stubbornly keep hoping.

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 2:33 am on February 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Your Prime Ministers may not be all that prime….
        But I’d have traded Trump for any of them any time.
        πŸ˜‰

        Liked by 2 people

    • obbverse 3:45 am on February 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Lynette you have my sympathy, knowing your classmate in his youth. We can put a little hope in someone anonymous, becoming our Great Leader, but knowing you’ve seen him in his formative- or reform school- years must make you weep.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Rivergirl 8:50 am on February 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      At this point it’s hard to even remember a pre Trump United States. A time when we could agree to disagree and actually work together. I miss that.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 9:45 am on February 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        You said it, Rg. What’s more, lying has become so shameless that Trumpist politicians and Trump sick-o-phants have weaponized it and pay no price, no matter how bald-faced the lies. How ugly does it have to get before America can no longer stand to look in the mirror?

        Liked by 1 person

    • magickmermaid 1:39 pm on February 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Barbershop quartets are so much fun! I think the good old days may have ended with the Stone Age. πŸ˜€

      Liked by 1 person

    • Elizabeth 6:05 pm on February 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Loved the last video. Here the barber shop near us is pure old school. Lots of men getting together, shooting the breeze, some actually getting their hair cut. My grandson went there for a “fade” style and was duly impressed!

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 7:24 pm on February 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I love that video too — so much so that I wanted it to go on longer. I knew the main song in that clip (PLAY THAT BARBERSHOP CHORD) from the 1949 film IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME, starring Judy Garland. She sings it wonderfully:

        Like

  • mistermuse 8:09 pm on February 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply  

    BLAME IT ALL ON THE MIRROR ON THE WALL 

    Do you sometimes wonder why we humans behave as we do? Shakespeare (through Cassius in Julius Caesar) has it that “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the stars, but in ourselves.” But, true as that may be on the face of it, the question begs further reflection….

    Yes, we can blame vanity for its part in the dark side of humanity, but is Vanity Fair game for ALL THE ILLS we read about, see, and experience daily (or monthly, as the case may be)? And, if vanity is not all, what’s up, Doc?

    As it happens, I’ve just been perusing the latest (March) issue of Harper’s magazine, which addresses the subject in a very interesting piece titled MIRROR, MIRROR by Anouchka Grose, from which I quote:

    “At the risk of oversimplifying, a human infant is uncomfortable in its own skin, which is why it cries so much. A baby can’t control anything much, certainly not its own body, and just has to scream and hope for the best. Then, at around six months–once their native cognitive faculties are sufficiently up and running–they are suddenly able to grasp the notion that the thing they see reflected back in a mirror is them. Not only that, but these creatures that circle around them–their family or whoever–are separate from them. Even more amazingly, they themselves are one of these beings.
    This is an incredibly exciting revelation for a baby. The image it sees in the mirror appears more advanced and more perfect than the messy reality it inhabits; the reflection is a promise of future mastery. There’s a moment of absolute jubilation….followed by a lifetime of disappointment caused by trying to live up to the promise of that moment. That’s the tragedy of the human condition….”

    So there you have it in a nutshell: if it weren’t for mirrors, we might not see the wisdom in the saying that ignorance is bliss — proving once and for all that….

     
    • obbverse 8:23 pm on February 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Why can’t those same old silly people stop telling me I’m ignorant? Man, you just cain’t tell some people.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 9:05 pm on February 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I say if they don’t pay to tell you you’re ignorant, they should mind their own business! πŸ˜€

        Liked by 1 person

    • willedare 8:37 pm on February 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Thought provoking… and I have never heard that song about ignorance before!

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 9:08 pm on February 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        That is the theme song of an old radio program I listened to when I was a boy…..so, for this post, it paid to remember It Pays To Be Ignorant.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 12:19 am on February 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Great post! I hadn’t heard that ignorance song before either. According to Thackeray, all the world (and especially 18th century England) is a Vanity Fair. πŸ˜‰

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 12:57 am on February 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Presumably, that is from where Vanity Fair magazine got its name….
        To which I say: All well and good, but I prefer Harper’s, just the same.

        Liked by 1 person

        • rawgod 3:20 am on February 23, 2023 Permalink

          And rrom Vanity Fair came Vanity Fare! I had forgotten all anout them till this post. They had a #3 billing in Canada in 1968 with Hitchin’ A Ride, but I preferred this earlier hit:

          Liked by 1 person

        • rawgod 3:30 am on February 23, 2023 Permalink

          Meanwhile, on the topic of 60s band who took their bastardized names from famous magazines of the times comes a cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s 59th Street Bridge Song, retitled as Feeling Groovy, by Harper’s Bizarre:

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 11:27 am on February 23, 2023 Permalink

          Thanks for both clips. Both songs are groovy, though I only remember the 59th Street Bridge Song. As for the bastardized (from magazines) band names, they sound cool compared to most of what came later, but I suppose that’s only to be expected of generations which no longer read magazines and such much (at least, on paper).

          Like

    • Yernasia Quorelios 4:03 am on February 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      πŸ’Ž – Diamond Hard – πŸ’Ž

      πŸ’Ž Very Good; Carry On

      nisi mortuus nec neque nolite vicit 🀭🀫🀐

      http://www.ericberne.com

      ….πŸ’ŽπŸ’ŽπŸ’Ž…

      Liked by 1 person

    • masercot 10:06 am on February 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the stars, but in ourselves. But, if anyone asks, it’s the stars’ fault.”

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 10:55 am on February 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        If you had said “It’s the earthquake’s fault,” it would really have cracked me up. Still, I can see the stars excuse, which I hope excuses me for this smart-alecky reply. πŸ˜‰

        Liked by 2 people

    • JosieHolford 10:16 am on February 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      My goodness that Snow White scene is terrifying. No wonder I avoided most Disney as a child.

      Liked by 1 person

    • magickmermaid 4:52 pm on February 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Wasn’t that Trump’s theme song?

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 5:21 pm on February 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        You said it, mm…..and it still is.
        I suspect that he’ll change his tune
        when he’s behind bars, which can’t come too soon.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Bruce @ walkingoffthechessboard 6:34 pm on February 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I wish I could remember that revelation the first time I looked in a mirror. That would be very cool. Much more interesting than a bunch of memories I do have. Sometimes, it would pay to be ignorant!

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 7:40 pm on February 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I suppose most of us have unwanted memories we can’t un-remember. Apparently, even Trump can’t un-remember that he lost the last election..

        Liked by 2 people

    • annieasksyou 5:59 pm on February 24, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Now I have to read that thought-provoking Harper’s piece…to find out how that six-month-old informed the writer that all is lost!

      Liked by 1 person

    • mistermuse 6:34 pm on February 24, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      What I thought when I was six months old will always be a mystery….
      Which is too bad, because at my age, I should know ancient history.
      πŸ˜‰

      Liked by 1 person

    • 100 Country Trek 11:30 pm on February 24, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for sharing this post. Brings back memories. Thanks Anita

      Liked by 1 person

    • mistermuse 11:45 pm on February 24, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Thank you!

      Like

    • Max Ethan 1:42 am on February 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Great post! I hadn’t heard that ignorance song before either. According to Thackeray, all the world

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 2:55 am on February 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Thank you, Max. Apparently you forgot to finish Thackeray’s thought, but if it’s “All the world’s a stage….”, I hope he credited Shakespeare!

        Like

  • mistermuse 7:57 pm on February 17, 2023 Permalink | Reply  

    ACHES AND PUNS 

    I have suffered too much in this world not to hope for another.” –Jean Jacques Rousseau

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    I get it. Rousseau knew what he was squawking about. There is so much suffering in the world that it is impossible to ignore (though some of us do our best to ignore the suffering of others). This doesn’t necessarily lead me to realistic hope for a painless other world….but I don’t know what I don’t know, so who knows? All I know is that ours is a world in which life isn’t fair — at least, for many (if not most) of us. But that’s a post for another day. Today I’m taking a whack at the wacky side of suffering….

    Yes, friends, life can be a pain in the….heart — which, for those who have no heart (Putin and Trump come to mind) may be why their pain is so I-solated. For others, for better or worse, having a heart can be a curse:

    Yes again, friends — life can put on you such a hurtin’ that it feels like the final curtain:

    Friends, I don’t know how much more hurt you can take, so if you don’t mind, proper etiquette sadly decrees quitting while I’m a-head. Thank you for your very kind attention.

     
    • equipsblog 10:18 pm on February 17, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      The difference between pain and pun is a vowel movement. You were easy on us today. No constipation.

      Liked by 3 people

    • josephurban 10:42 pm on February 17, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 12:04 am on February 18, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I suppose there is something to be said about the fact that Tony Bennett is still alive at 96 and Amy Winehouse died in 2011 at age 27, but a pun would be inappropriate and a moral of the story escapes me….so I’ll simply thank you for the clip.

        Like

    • equipsblog 11:46 pm on February 17, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Punderful reply. Mistermuse.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 3:05 am on February 18, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Part of my problem was that when I was just a head, I couldn’t quit. Or maybe another part of my problem was the bad jokes.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Yernasia Quorelios 7:03 am on February 18, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      ON MONEY, MATERIALISM PERCEPTION OF POWER AND LACK OF SELF LOVE

      πŸ’Ž – Diamond Hard – πŸ’Ž

      πŸ’Ž Basically they are all DRUGS!!! EveryOne and We ARE Raised to Get a Hit, Come Down then look for Our NEXT!!! Hit; in short We Condemn Drug Addiction and Alcoholism 🍸 🎢 😎 πŸ€ͺ ✨️ πŸ‘ŒπŸΎ 🍷 and Other Perceived ‘ABNORMALITIES’ that We Don’t Understand yet enjoy when Entertained…so the Most Destructive Addiction is an Addiction to UnReasonable Expectations so I Suggest focus on Exist, Experiment and Experience because The Outcome is The Outcome is The Outcome; ergo, please πŸ™πŸΏ Prove Me Wrong EveryBody after Admitting, Acknowledging and Addressing YOUR!!! MMHI (Multiple Mental Health Issues) from Conditioned UpBringing

      nisi mortuus nec neque nolite vicit 🀭🀫🀐

      http://www.ericberne.com

      πŸ’Ž – Diamond Hard – πŸ’Ž

      …πŸ’ŽπŸ’ŽπŸ’Ž…

      Like

    • Rivergirl 8:27 am on February 18, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I believe I’ve reached the age where aches and pains aren’t funny anymore. I much prefer aches and puns!

      Liked by 1 person

    • obbverse 4:33 pm on February 18, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Unconstrained puns everywhere.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 5:28 pm on February 18, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Puns I let out so unconstrained,
        They must be feeling tired and drained….
        But is it my fault that they’re spent?
        They heard I’d give them up for Lent,
        Although that was never my intent….
        And now they’re gone & who knows where they went?

        Liked by 1 person

    • Dalo 2013 6:20 pm on February 18, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      “I get it. Rousseau knew what he was squawking about.” ~ it does feel at times that having a heart can be a curse, but then those feelings make us alive and understand how much we care (as some care about us). Poignant post to start out my weekend. Wishing you well.

      Liked by 1 person

    • magickmermaid 2:57 pm on February 19, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      More puns, please! πŸ˜€

      Liked by 1 person

    • JosieHolford 9:27 am on February 20, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      “I eat my peas with honey
      I’ve done it all my life.
      It makes the peas taste funny
      But it keeps them on the knife.”

      Liked by 1 person

    • JosieHolford 11:40 am on February 20, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Right proper innit.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 4:45 pm on February 20, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        ….and right proper English too, ain’t it (and with that God-awful pun, I’ll quit before I ruin your day).

        Like

    • Silver Screenings 8:54 pm on February 20, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Fabulous music, as always – but I also loved that you included a Sufferin’ Succotash clip. I’d completely forgotten about this phrase, and I promise to incorporate it into several conversations this week.

      Liked by 1 person

    • mistermuse 11:17 pm on February 20, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Thank you! I bet you know who was the voice of the cartoon character in the “Sufferin’ Succotash” clip….none other than Mel Blanc, of course. The character is Sylvester, but Daffy Duck also said the phrase.

      Like

    • 100 Country Trek 11:57 pm on February 20, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for sharing this fun idea of this music. Anita

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 12:37 am on February 21, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I would’ve felt bad, making light of sufferin’….
        But I relieved the pain by taking two Bufferin.
        πŸ˜‰

        Liked by 1 person

  • mistermuse 2:03 am on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply  

    A BEVY OF BIRTHDAYS 

    February may be the shortest month, but it can boast of a long list of birthdays of the Mitch and Famous. But Mitch (McConnell), Kentucky’s rich and famous senior senator, was born on Feb. 20, and today is Feb. 15 — which has a lengthy birthday list itself, including the following (with year of birth) who have come and gone:

    GALILEO GALILEI (1564)
    CHARLES LEWIS TIFFANY (1812)
    SUSAN B. ANTHONY (1820)
    JOHN BARRYMORE (1882)
    WALTER DONALDSON (1893)
    HAROLD ARLEN (1905)
    CESAR ROMERO (1907)

    Of the above, the first four are probably the most famous, followed by the least famous, Walter Donaldson….and yet, he is one of the most prolific hit song composers of all time — not only in terms of quantity, but of dead serious songs such as this 1929 dirge:

    Harold Arlen, if not for his score for THE WIZARD OF OZ, might be just as forgotten as Donaldson, but he has written many other quality songs, such as It’s Only A Paper Moon, Stormy Weather, I’ve Got The World On A String, Blues In The Night, and That Old Black Magic. He was also a fine vocalist, as in this rendering of his own composition:

    Last, but least known for singing (much less, writing) songs, is actor Cesar Romero — but I have nonetheless caught this Latin lover in the act of singing a love song with words written by a lyricist who died in February (1970). And so it goes….

    Speaking of Latin, if you dig the first clip best, here’s how to express it: Caterva carissima mea est Mortui Grati (My favorite group is The Grateful Dead).

    Adios.

     
    • obbverse 3:13 am on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I recall an older workmate used to quietly warble ‘Its Only A Paper Moon’ when he was dealing with a problem. Beats screaming and swearing like a trooper at the problem, as I was tempted to do.

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 9:29 am on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        ….which only goes to show that music doth indeed have charms to sooth the savage mess (sometimes).

        Liked by 2 people

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 3:13 am on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I hadn’t seen β€œThe Skeleton Dance” in a long time. Such fun. Thank you.

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 9:33 am on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        My pleasure. I too hadn’t seen it in quite a while, and didn’t know (or had forgotten) that it was composed by Walter Donaldson.

        Liked by 2 people

    • peNdantry 5:51 am on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Woah. That is SO spooky. For many reasons:

      + One hour and four minutes ago (as I write this) I completed my own latest circumsolar navigation.

      + A couple of years back, prompted by an intriguing post by Amanda, I created a ‘dead man’s switch’ post, scheduled to be posted on this day: the idea being that I would reschedule it for next year if I were able to do so.

      + And then last year I thought: why not, when rescheduling the post (assuming I could), replace it with another, celebrating the birthday of someone else – the Cunning Plan there being that I would, each year, need to create a fresh replacement, and this focus would mean I would be less likely to forget this task. I had created such a post for today (though for reasons I won’t bore you with) I decided to postpone it. That post celebrated the very first in your list here: Galileo πŸ™‚

      PS It’s also vIghro’wij‘s second birthday today πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 9:47 am on February 18, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Galileo lives! But unfortunately, the link in your PS doesn’t — I clicked it and got nothing.

        Liked by 1 person

        • peNdantry 10:07 am on February 18, 2023 Permalink

          Intriguing. I wonder why that link to hol.kag.org doesn’t work for you†. It does for me… spoiler: the link provides a translation for <vIghro’wIj>: it’s Klingon for ‘my cat’ πŸ™‚

          † When you say ‘got nothng’, do you mean it simply doesn’t work as a link, or does it take you to a ‘404 not found’ (or other error) page? (If the former, then it might be to do with the fact that the URL contains an entity replacement for the quote character‑ – ie ‘%27′ – and maybe that’s tripping up whatever platform you’re using. Perhaps.)

          ‑ In Klingon, this is actually a letter in its own right. It’s called a <qaghwI’>. (I bet you always wanted to know that.)

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 12:38 pm on February 18, 2023 Permalink

          I tried it again and it worked. The first time I clicked it, I think it was still in spam, which is undoubtedly the reason it failed.

          As for the rest, I regret to say that Klingon is Greek to me, as I’m not a Star Trek fan. However, I’m sure some of my readers are, so your comments won’t be over the heads of those who see them.

          Liked by 1 person

        • peNdantry 6:02 pm on February 18, 2023 Permalink

          Just one more question that’s been nagging me: was there a particular reason that you chose this day to celebrate birthdays?

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 8:34 pm on February 18, 2023 Permalink

          This post was simply the result of one thing leading to another. I was considering doing a post on Harold Arlen’s birthday, but since I’ve done him in the past, I thought of expanding it to include other birthdays on the same date, which led to coming up with a further theme (suffering) to further tie it all together. And there you have it!

          Liked by 1 person

        • peNdantry 4:46 am on February 19, 2023 Permalink

          Harold Arlen, eh? Thank you for choosing the man I’ll celebrate on a phuture pheb phiphteenth (assuming I’m around to do that, naturally). ‘One thing leading to another’… isn’t it weird how the universe works?

          Liked by 1 person

    • ladysighs 8:02 am on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Great songs by Harold Arlen of whom I’ve never heard .. of. A hero is Harold!

      Liked by 2 people

    • Rivergirl 9:26 am on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I remember that dancing skeleton!
      πŸ‘

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 9:54 am on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        In my post, I called it a “1929 dirge” — the song was composed in 1929, but I thought the dancing skeleton cartoon came later. Turns out that it was created the same year (by Disney) — amazing for the time period, as sound had just come to motion pictures.

        Liked by 2 people

    • willedare 11:26 am on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Thank you for great musical clips as well as reminding us about songwriters Donaldson and Arlen!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 1:29 pm on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        As always, my pleasure. Both Donaldson and Arlen were primarily composers who sometimes wrote the lyrics to their own songs. I doubt that Donaldson could sing as well as Arlen, but I can’t find any clips of him vocalizing, so who knows?. In any case, “Tain’t No Sin.”.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Rosaliene Bacchus 3:45 pm on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I’ve never heard of Harold Arlen, but I know some of his songs you’ve mentioned, sung by Frank Sinatra.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 4:45 pm on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        If you like Ella Fitzgerald, one of her series of ELLA FITZGERALD SINGS ______ albums (Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, etc.) is ELLA FITZGERALD SINGS HAROLD ARLEN. Having Frank and/or Ella sing one’s songs is about as good as it gets!

        Liked by 1 person

    • JosieHolford 4:10 pm on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Another delightful selection.

      Liked by 1 person

    • magickmermaid 6:25 pm on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      The skeleton cartoon and song have to be the most bizarre I have ever seen and heard. πŸ˜€ I am familiar with all the Harold Arlen songs but didn’t know who wrote them until learning about him here. I’m not rich, mitch or famous; but my birthday is in February. πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

    • Bruce @ walkingoffthechessboard 6:36 pm on February 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Haven’t seen those dancing bones in a long while – nice to see them here!

      Liked by 1 person

    • jilldennison 3:32 am on February 16, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Whoa … some really, really oldies here! Oldies, but goodies!

      Liked by 1 person

    • 100 Country Trek 9:54 pm on February 16, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for these great songs by Harold Arlen. Anita

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 10:13 pm on February 16, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I’ll pass your thanks on to Harold Arlen when I get to heaven, Anita. πŸ˜€

        Like

    • peNdantry 6:53 am on February 18, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Hmm… pretty sure I left a comment here on Wednesday, but I don’t see it. Maybe check your spam? (Akismet doesn’t seem to like me much lately).

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 9:42 am on February 18, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        You’re right — it went to spam. Thanks for the heads up, as I seldom check spam, and your comment probably would’ve languished there forever (if not longer). It now appears above.

        Liked by 1 person

        • peNdantry 9:50 am on February 18, 2023 Permalink

          Thanks!

          (I’ve been working on the ‘legit comments ending up in WordPress spam’ problem for a while now, and have some insights to share in a future post that may be of use… can’t say when, as I have too much on my plate right now.)

          Liked by 1 person

    • Silver Screenings 9:07 pm on February 20, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Just realized I never listen to Cesar Romero’s recordings, and I don’t know why that is. I think I’ll indulge this evening, thanks to you!

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 11:40 pm on February 20, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Same here. I never thought of him as a singer, but despite his limited range, he was capable of putting a song over in his own fashion.

        Liked by 1 person

  • mistermuse 6:24 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply  

    IT WAS ICE WHILE IT LASTED 

    In the good old days BR (Before Refrigerators), people kept their food BRRRR cold in ice boxes, which were insulated cabinets or chests with a section for ice blocks delivered by an iceman, just as milk was delivered by a milkman. Judging by this song, if the lady of the house didn’t pay the delivery man C.O.(L)D., things could get frosty in a hurry:

    Although it seems the milkman got a warmer reception than the iceman….

    My adv-ice, then as now:
    Always keep cool, any-how.


    .

     
    • magickmermaid 6:38 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      A very cool post! πŸ™‚ I love the tunes!

      Liked by 3 people

      • mistermuse 7:13 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks, mm. The tunes carry the load on this post!

        Liked by 2 people

        • peNdantry 1:20 pm on February 13, 2023 Permalink

          While that’s true, I have to agree with magickmermaid. This post was particularly awesome to me because it (almost† uniquely!) enabled me to kill two birds with one stone: I cranked up the sound and continued my packing, which meant that I was blogging without using it to procrastinate, so thank you! πŸ™‚

          † Dammit… I know there are other blogs that have posts like this one but I can’t for the life of me think of which ones they are at the moment (and I’ve spent the last half hour trying to figure out to find them, so bang goes the procrastination savings πŸ˜€

          Liked by 1 person

        • peNdantry 1:24 pm on February 13, 2023 Permalink

          D’oh! Silly me: I remember (now( that you make posts like this all the time, so I just have to use https://theobservationpost.wordpress.com/?random – job done! πŸ˜€

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 4:40 pm on February 13, 2023 Permalink

          Thank you! I must remember to check out that link sometime to see what I’m up to! πŸ˜€

          Liked by 1 person

        • peNdantry 6:36 am on February 14, 2023 Permalink

          I find it very handy… it reminds me of all the rubbish I’ve posted over the years πŸ˜‰
          PS Can I interest you in πŸ’₯Random? Raiders!πŸ’₯?

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 10:54 am on February 14, 2023 Permalink

          I took a look at your link, but I don’t think I’ll join.
          I’m too engaged to take the time, and too ‘married to my coin.’

          Thank you anyway!

          Liked by 1 person

        • peNdantry 12:58 pm on February 14, 2023 Permalink

          Not a problem. I understand entirely – I have too many other fish to fry myself at present, and I’ve been slacking on that front :/

          Liked by 1 person

        • peNdantry 1:00 pm on February 14, 2023 Permalink

          /doubletake
          Wait, what? ‘Coin’? There’s no membership fee, it’ll always be free.

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 3:34 pm on February 14, 2023 Permalink

          I didn’t mean coin literally, but in the sense of the coin of my realm: thinking and writing creatively, both inside and outside the box (speaking of double takes). πŸ˜‰

          Liked by 1 person

    • Rivergirl 6:47 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      My mother called it an ice box till the day she died. I remember defrosting the freezer when I was a kid. Ugh. What a job.

      Liked by 4 people

      • mistermuse 7:31 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        After the refrigerator came on the scene, it was known by either name for a number of years. I seem to recall it being called in our house either the ice box or fridge at least into the 1950s. Then, in 1960, I was drafted into the army and I don’t remember what it was called, but the food was called “shit on a shingle” (at least, the food that came on a piece of toast).

        Liked by 4 people

    • JosieHolford 7:07 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      What a clever selection!
      (Still listening here.)

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 7:37 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks, Josie. Little did I realize when I began this blog years ago that collecting old records and my knowledge of old songs would come in so handy!

        Liked by 3 people

    • equipsblog 7:12 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Although I’m old enough to remember the milk man, I only know the Iceman from the Little Rascals shorts on TV

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 7:51 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I remember the Little Rascals on TV in the 1950s, but I heard The Iceman Cometh in the 1940s (if you’ll pardon the pun on Eugene O’Neill’s 1946 play of that name).

        Liked by 1 person

    • The Coastal Crone 7:14 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Cool music! I still sometimes call my refrigerator an ice box. My grandmother had a real ice box.

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 7:59 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks! I wonder if those old ice boxes are worth a hunk of cold cash today. I watch Antiques Roadshow fairly often, but have never seen an ice box presented.

        Liked by 1 person

    • JosieHolford 9:20 pm on February 9, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      You are an expert curator!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 1:54 am on February 10, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      The iceman used to cometh. πŸ˜‰

      Liked by 1 person

    • rawgod 5:01 am on February 10, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      This song came out on the 60s, but I thonk it was older than that. A reason the Milkman had rhe Blues???

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 1:34 pm on February 10, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks for the song clip. I wasn’t familiar with it, so I checked and found that it’s not older:

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Milk_Today

        Liked by 1 person

        • rawgod 6:53 pm on February 10, 2023 Permalink

          That is quite the story about what I thought was a throw-away song by the teenybopper-worshipped Herman’s Hermits. I was just reminded of the song byyour second selection, and threw it in for fun. Now my fingers have been properly spanked! Thank you.

          Liked by 1 person

    • rawgod 5:03 am on February 10, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Oh! BTW. The first song was not available in Canada. So no idea what it even was…

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 10:07 am on February 10, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        It’s Big Joe Turner singing ICE MAN BLUES (I’ll get back to you on your first comment later).

        Like

    • masercot 9:42 am on February 10, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      The Ink Spots were something special, weren’t they?

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 10:04 am on February 10, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        They’re my fav male vocal group of all time (the Boswell Sisters, my fav female one).

        Liked by 1 person

        • masercot 10:09 am on February 10, 2023 Permalink

          I’m leaning more towards the Mills Brothers… but that’s probably because I’ve been singing How’m I doin’? an awful lot…

          Liked by 1 person

    • Bruce @ walkingoffthechessboard 6:55 pm on February 10, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      A very chill vibe from this post. I can recall those milk deliveries and the iceboxes among my earliest memories, and it was nice to revisit them here.

      Liked by 2 people

    • Priti 9:18 am on February 12, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Great music! πŸ‘πŸ‘

      Liked by 1 person

    • 100 Country Trek 9:42 pm on February 14, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for sharing this idea. Anita

      Liked by 1 person

  • mistermuse 1:49 pm on February 4, 2023 Permalink | Reply  

    WHYS GUYS 

    Why, if there’s a God in the sky, why shouldn’t He grin/ high above this dreary twentieth century din?” –NOEL COWARD (from his 1933 composition TWENTIETH CENTURY BLUES)

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Why, I wonder, should God even bother to grin, given (by all that is holy) that He appears wholly indifferent to and above the din of the 20th (and every other) century’s inhumanity? For crying out loud, is He blind and deaf? Or is He but a divine misanthrope?

    Unfortunately, my fellow fall guys and gals, your lowly and humble muse can’t answer these maddening questions here and now….but I promise to get back to you after I’m dead and gone (Lord willing and the meek arise). Meanwhile, here are some slightly less inscrutable Whys from guys who were able to deal with them (after a fashion) before they went the way of all flesh:

    On a lighter note, what could be more apropos than a melodious question asked by a holy trinity of male song writers (Maurice Sigler, Al Goodhart, and Al Hoffman) and sung by a glorious trio of sisters:

    We end with Why Begin Again?

    I give up. Why?

     
  • mistermuse 4:06 pm on January 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply  

    THE STATE OF THINKING 

    thinking cap n. A state in which one thinks, esp. carefully —Webster’s New World Dictionary

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    I don’t know about your state, but I don’t think the “red” state I live in bothers to do much thinking — or it wouldn’t be a red state. But, GOPolitics aside — and being in a thinking state of mind — I thought I’d do a thinking post today, including quotes about thinking by thinkers whom I think know what they’re thinking about. But first, here’s a thought-full ditty to get you in the mood:

    There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking.Thomas Edison

    Few people think more than two or three times a year. I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.George Bernard Shaw

    When all men think alike, no one thinks very much. Walter Lippmann

    Ours is an age which is proud of machines that think, and suspicious of men who try to.Howard Mumford Jones

    There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything, or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking.Alfred Korzybski

    When men talk, they seldom stop to think; when women talk, they seldom think to stop.Evan Esar (sorry about that, ladies)

    Men can live without air for a few minutes, without water for about two weeks, without food for about two months — and without a new thought for years on end. Kent Ruth

    Many people have eaten and drunk themselves to death. Many people have played themselves to death. Nobody ever thought himself to death.Gilbert Highet

    For God’s sake, don’t let us think. If we did, there would be an end to society.Lucas Cleeve

    But there will be no end to this post without one more song….

    ….or (on second thought) two….

    Here’s thinking of you, kid.

     
    • Rivergirl 4:12 pm on January 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I’d like to comment, but I feel as if I should think about it first…

      Liked by 2 people

      • mistermuse 4:58 pm on January 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        If you were a Donald Trump supporter, I’d say DON’T STRAIN YOURSELF….but since you have more sense than that, I (like you) will go with the flow, River: πŸ˜‰

        Liked by 1 person

    • Rosaliene Bacchus 4:41 pm on January 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Excellent quotes!

      Liked by 1 person

    • JosieHolford 6:44 pm on January 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Useful collection of quotes.
      Here’s one more:
      β€œThere is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – Hamlet.

      And it is so true that most of us find thinking for ourselves just too much trouble. We come across a new situation, problem, or event, and off we run to our favorite go-to person or resource to help us with what to think. We then take that opinion or judgment on as our own without actually thinking it through for ourselves.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 7:13 pm on January 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        You said it, Josie — that’s how Hitler, Trump, and despots throughout history have been able to attract millions of followers who are either unable, or don’t want, to think for themselves. Reminds me of the Oscar Wilde quote, “I think God, in creating man, somewhat overestimated His ability.”

        Liked by 4 people

        • JosieHolford 8:30 pm on January 29, 2023 Permalink

          And all the time said alleged “thinkers” believe they are being thoughtful, aware, and sometimes even counter-cultural.

          Liked by 1 person

    • magickmermaid 7:08 pm on January 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Love the quotes and the tunes! πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

    • annieasksyou 8:26 pm on January 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Where do AI CHATbot thinkers fit into all this? Those newest bits are apparently byting writers’ efforts. Bloggers beware! They may push our ROM out of the writers’ rooms.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 10:22 pm on January 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I have zero experience with Chatbox, but even if it’s not a live human being doing the chatting, a live human being created it, so it’s not infallible (unless it was the Pope). πŸ˜€

        Like

    • obbverse 8:29 pm on January 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Just like Republicans; I think not.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 12:33 am on January 30, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        If the Tories in your country are even half as vile as the Republicans in America, I applaud your not thinking like them. πŸ˜‰

        Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette d'Arty-Cross 12:13 am on January 30, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for this collection of excellent quotes.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Don Ostertag 12:06 pm on January 30, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      That post was really a lot of food for thought, Mr. Muse, plus some fine music.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 12:41 pm on January 30, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I appreciate that, Don. The first old song was a new one for me. I knew the other two, but both bear repeated listenings.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Elizabeth 1:50 pm on January 30, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Do you live in a Red State on purpose or did it get more conservative recently? Here in my little town I just saw that only 10% of voters are Republicans. Makes it easier for us.

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 3:18 pm on January 30, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I live in the state where I was born and have lived most of my life. Over the years, it has gone from blue to swing to red….which only goes to show that people don’t necessarily grow wiser with the passage of time. πŸ˜‰

        Liked by 2 people

        • Elizabeth 12:50 pm on February 1, 2023 Permalink

          We left western Oregon which actually went the other way into frequent la la land. Connecticut is called the “land of steady habits” so there isn’t much change.

          Liked by 1 person

    • selizabryangmailcom 5:34 pm on January 30, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Ah, what a list. Hilarious and true!
      I love this one: There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything, or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking. β€”Alfred Korzybski.
      It can apply to the left and the right, too, in going too far in either direction. In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes the Dems made recently was taking up the cry “Defund the police,” which ended up terrifying huge swaths of population and getting nowhere.
      If they had just thought to reword it like “restructure the police” or “redistribute training/power/finance to the police” I don’t think it would have been left in shambles where it is now, and we would have made actual strides to accomplish what was done in Camden, New Jersey, with absolute success.
      Also: I don’t think an apology’s necessary for the comment on female verbiage, lol. I think it’s a scientific fact that men speak about 2,000 words a day while women speak 5-7,000, lol ! ! !

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 7:25 pm on January 30, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        I completely agree about the “Defund the police” debacle. If nothing else, whoever came up with that catchphrase should have realized that it would cause a furor and have an opposite, whiplash effect. It’s the perfect example of why the extreme wings of both libs & conservatives can’t see past their noses.

        As for the apology, I apologize. I don’t know to whom, so I’ll say no more. πŸ˜€

        Liked by 1 person

    • calmkate 6:24 pm on February 1, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      a very thoughtful post!

      GBS came up with some priceless quotes, shows exercising the grey matter more often does pay off πŸ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      • mistermuse 12:08 am on February 2, 2023 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks, Kate. GBS’s quote may have been tongue in cheek, but it hit the nail on the head.

        Liked by 1 person

        • calmkate 1:15 am on February 2, 2023 Permalink

          he also said “I’m not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens” … that’s stuck with me over many decades πŸ™‚

          Liked by 1 person

        • mistermuse 9:52 am on February 2, 2023 Permalink

          There’s a Woody Allen quote I like along similar lines:

          “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.”

          Like

    • ryinger77 3:35 pm on February 3, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      I was transported to my grandparent’s living room waiting for the Stooges by you intro. Ms Rivers comment fixed my need to share as I was able to sit back and let the thought slip away. Overwrought causes me to arise.
      I don’t know if that woman could think but she could FEEL!
      “You got a woman waitin’ for you there
      All you ever gotta do is be a good man one time to one woman
      And that’ll be the end of the road, babe” JJ
      All stimulus is good so I’l go find some work now. Otherwise I might fall into the depths that the modern mastress of the blue’s created and cry all day. Love your work,ty.

      Liked by 1 person

    • mistermuse 8:14 pm on February 3, 2023 Permalink | Reply

      Speaking of the blues, I”m having a rather bad day, so my response will be short: Thanks for your comment and appreciation of my efforts.

      Like

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