Ru Paul
Years ago, PG worked with someone who liked to say “and a ru hu hu.” This was shortened to ru, and was usually said very loud. Ru became a greeting.
About this time, Ru Paul was living in Atlanta. Many people remember her (“RuPaul Andre Charles, best known mononymously as RuPaul”) as a spectacular self promoter. Ru Paul would sit in an apartment balcony, and wave at cars passing by. Posters for her band, Wee Wee Pole, were on telephone poles up and down Ponce de Leon Avenue.
One night, Ru Paul was working as a gogo dancer in a club called Weekends. During a break, PG went over to talk to her. The use of ru as a greeting was mentioned. Soon, some people came over, and PG started to leave. Before PG could get away, Ru Paul turned to PG, lifted her index finger, and said “Keep on saying my name.”
Ru Paul went on to become famous. Weekends was torn down, and is the site of the Federal Reserve Bank. PG is PG, with occasional excursions into R and NC17. PG does not watch much TV, and has never seen an episode of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race.” This is a TV show about a TV.
There is a recent controversy about RPDR. It seems that the phrase shemale has been used. Some people are offended by this. The expression is no longer used on the show.
PG has only one trans person friend. Sashia is the first person that PG heard use the expression shemale. PG does not know if Sashia still uses this expression. It has been a while since PG learned this expression, and ideas about language do change. Spell check suggestion for Sashia: Hashish.
The use of offensive language is to be avoided. If you know something is going to hurt people, then you should avoid saying it. There is a good possibility that Ru Paul knew what she was doing, and just didn’t care. The problem comes when you haven’t received the latest update from the language authorities. Keeping up with with is cool to say can be a full time job. Is it still ok to say ru?
Pictures from The Library of Congress. The images are of women, training to be bus drivers and taxi drivers. This was in Washington DC, November 1942. The photographer was Andreas Feininger, working for the Office of War Information. The picture of a dipstick demonstration is #8d36666.
Roll Model Biscuit Model
An internet facility (IF) called Mind Openerz recently posted a feature, Charles Bukowski’s Top 10 Tips for Living a Kick-Ass Life. Hank writes enjoyable stories and poems. This does not make him a role model. Even if the tales of degenerate lifestyle were exageratted for public consumption, as many suspect, the butt ugly drunkard is nothing to aspire to.
One thing to admire about Hank (a publisher thought that Charles would be a better selling pen name) was the volume of product. He would write dozens of poems, with the lines popping out “like hot turds the morning after a good beer drunk.” Keep the quantity up, and the quality takes care of itself.
Many of the rules for living were taken from his short stories. PG recently stumbled through Tales of Ordinary Madness, and recognized a few. Hank would toss words of wisdom into stories about being arrested. One time, it was for threatening to rape a lady with a codfish. You can’t beat fun at the old ballpark. Of course, Hank hated baseball, and hated poetry that rhymes. PG writes rhyming poems, with pictures of dogs in the background. Hank is dead, and his opinion doesn’t count.
The fun starts with rule number eight. “8. Have confidence in yourself. “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts.” You are awesome, and all you have to do to let your true talents shine is believe that fact. Have complete confidence in yourself and you might be surprised with all you can achieve.”
Several of the stories of ordinary madness involve people who think they are poets, show work to Hank, and are insulted for the lousy ouput. The line in number eight was familiar, but PG was too slack to go looking through ordinary madness to find it. This is where you ask Mr. Google for help. The full quote: “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.”
Gasoline Tactics
This information was originally posted six years ago. PG received a chain letter email about gasoline prices, with these suggestions. With demand increasing, and supply decreasing, the price of petroleum is going to go up. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands. When you pump in the afternoon or in the evening… your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline plays an important role.
When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less fuel for your money.
Fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The more gas you have in your tank the less air is occupying the empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you might imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.
If there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop , DO NOT fill up–most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered. You might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
Twenty Questions
Someone in twitterland posted a link, 20 Questions to Ask New Employees. Since I might be in the job market again soon, maybe it would be easier to prepare the answers in advance. Here goes. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
01. Do you have any tattoos you regret? What/where is it? No. Having a tattoo installed has always seemed too painful to contemplate. There are tattoos that I regret seeing on other people, but that memory is safely repressed.
02. If you had to marry one serial killer from history, who would it be? (You won’t be a victim.) Another feature of twitter these days is FaithVoters4Hillary. It is obvious that any husband of hers can do whatever, and whomever, he/she pleases. As Secretary of State, Hillary has supervised the demise of countless children in Pakistan. She makes Charles Manson look like a sunday school teacher.
03. What would you do if I put a live octopus on your desk? Take it to a restaurant on Buford Hiway. There are only so many stray dogs.
04. Biggie or Tupac? I don’t use cologne. Why should I have to choose between those two brands?
05. Are you the kind of person who chit-chats in the public restroom during a tandem pee session? Only during a full moon.
06. Have you ever stolen a pen that writes exceptionally well from a restaurant? I thought it was half a set of chopsticks.
07. Do you (know) anyone who’s killed someone? If so, was it at your behest? If so, how concerned should I be about staying on your good side? This is a trick question.
08. Have you ever owned a water pick? Why? I was trying to clean the grout in the shower. That was the only thing that came close to working, and not very well.
09. What are your thoughts on cubicle farting? If I was in a cubicle that farted, I would move. This might be an issue for OSHA.
10. If you were ever in a situation where you knew you were definitely going to be cut in half, would you rather be cut length-wise or width-wise? (You’re going to die either way; this is a preference question, not a survival question.) More information is needed. Is it a laser, or a band saw? It would be a different answer for each one.
11. Do you eat fragrant foods at your desk, and if so, how important is it to you? This question makes fun of certain religions. It is not an acceptable question.
12. On a scale of 1, not at all, to 10, you’re a filthy scumbag, how much will you judge me for wearing the same dress pants two (or more) days in a row? Dress pants is an expression that does not make sense. You can wear a dress. You can wear pants. Technically you could wear pants under a dress, but why would you want to?
13. Do you have any spouses or children I should know about right now? If no, please don’t bring them up in subsequent conversation and expect me to know who you’re talking about. Only if Bill gives Hillary the divorce she needs.
14. Do you plan on getting any unconventional haircuts during your tenure here? How convincing do you expect me to be when I tell you it looks great? The opposite of con is pro. Do I get unproventional haircuts? These are installed under anesthesia. Will insurance pay for this?
15. Of all the people you’ve met so far, who would you feel the least conflicted about trampling in the event of an emergency evacuation? The cashier at WalMart who told me that pennies were not welcome as payment.
16. Do you know exactly how many moles you have on your body? If yes, is the reason dermatological or just creepy? Mole is a sauce. If I were to apply a condiment to my body, it would be mustard.
17. Are you actually qualified to do the job you were hired for? It would be silly to fill this part out before I know what job I am applying for? If the job is a full time liar, then of course I am qualified.
18. Do you participate in any uncommon hobbies? If yes, please allow me some time to prepare my reaction for that Friday when you suddenly mention you’re going to an Anime convention. I copy lists of joke questions off the internet and post answers on my blog.
19. Do you intend on stabbing me in the back/making me look bad sometime in the near future? If yes, please understand my efforts to get everyone in the office to hate you will begin immediately. If you are going to hire me, you already look bad enough.
20. For how long do you reasonably expect me to smile every time I see you around the office like you’re a tourist that doesn’t speak English? As long as necessary.
Mrs. Fenton
There is a bit of urban legend mongering on the innertubes these days. It shows a letter. It is from the manager of a Kmart in Reno, NV. It tells “Mrs. Fenton” not to go shopping there anymore. It seems as though her husband has been misbehaving.
Here is the text of the letter. Mr. Fenton: August 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M’s on lay-buy. October 4: Looked straight in to the security camera; used it as a mirror, and picked his nose. December 23: Went in the fitting room, shut the door and waited a while; then yelled, very loudly, “There is no toilet paper in here!”
The wet blankets at snopes say the letter is a fake. This page is sponsored by an ad for a book, Journey to the Cross: Reflecting on 24 Hours That Changed the World. You can’t make this stuff up.
Mrs. Fenton lived at 35 Rasmussen Street, Moores Park, Reno, NV, 89503. Google maps has never heard of this address. Kmart Store 4855 was located at Summit Ridge, Reno, NV, 89503. This is a side street, with no current signs of Kmarttage.
The letter is good for a laugh. The problems might come when some person is inspired to try one of the pranks. After all, an earlier title of the piece was “Things to do at Wal-Mart while your family is taking forever to finish shopping.” The person who has to clean up after “Make a trail of orange juice on the floor to the restrooms” will not be amused. Maybe you should tell this person to lighten up, and get a sense of humor. Do not try this in a stand your ground state.
A similar lack of respect for humanity is seen in fake crime videos. In the one linked to, two men try breaking into a car. One is treated more rudely by the police. This video inspired much hand wringing about unfair treatment of minorities.
With all the real crimes being perpetrated, why are these pinheads staging a fake crime? They are making a video, to illustrate their social commentary. Police should be fighting real crime, not playing the bad guy in a youtube adventure. This makes about as much sense as “While handling guns in the hunting department ask the clerk if he knows where the anti-depressants are.”
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Your Life On Text
An all caps graphic washes up on the digital shores from time to time. The author, and copyright status, are not known. It was not written here. Reading it can be a chore, even though it looks cool. It is also selfish… the only opinion that matters is the individual reading it. It doesn’t have a good beat, but you can dance to it. Pictures are from The Library of Congress. This is a repost.
This is your life.
Do what you love, and do it often.
If you don’t like something, change it.
If you don’t like your job, quit.
If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV.
If you are looking for the love of your life, stop:
They will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.
Stop over analyzing, life is simple
All emotions are beautiful.
When you eat, appreciate every last bite.
Open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people,
We are united in our differences.
Ask the next person you see what their passion is,
And share your inspiring dream with them.
Travel often, getting lost will help you find yourself.
Some opportunities only come once, seize them.
Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them
So go out and start creating.
Life is short. Live your dream, and wear your passion.
“Do you have to be a poet? If you don’t have to be a poet, be a prose writer. You’ll get further faster. Poetry — there’s probably more poetry published today than any time in the history of the world. Nevertheless, there is this — people think they have this blindness when they see a line in the typography of poetry, and it just blocks them. So if you can say the same thing in prose, you’ll probably be better off” Lawrence Ferlinghetti
#WhiteManMarchProtestSigns
Did your conversation with “Steve” really happen? It seems a bit off. We have to take your word for this. There is no way to prove it really happened. After your post about the Marilyn Monroe quote, I have to wonder about your integrity. ~ What about the people, who do not agree with your religion, who are attacked by preachers? ~ I was attacked for seven years, by a co worker, after I asked him to turn down his radio. Before this, I had made my peace with Jesus. I didn’t agree with most of what was said about him ~ I see Jesus through the people that believe in him. My experience has been horrific. Since I don’t agree with the scheme for life after death, I see no reason to make excuses for Jesus. ~ I have read that carburetor is french for do not touch ~ @lexiconvalley blog post about accents, based on a lexicon valley episode ~ don’t play leapfrog with a unicorn ~ bad lip sync videos are funny ~ This must be chatter about religion day. I suppose it is better than a hokey buzzfeed video about crime and race. ~ If the text is boring you can always look at the pictures. ~ It might be a trap. ~ Maybe a better question would be, Why do you think? ~ when poc use the n word, pwoc haters don’t have to ~ poc trash themselves by using n word ~ @chescaleigh when poc use #nword, , pwoc h8rs don’t have to, the poc are doing it for them ~ Aren’t most reviews written from complimentary copies? ~ I read an interview once with Christopher Isherwood. There is no online source. The concept is that you are drawn to a religion by the people you meet in that religion. The beliefs are more or less irrelevant. Religion is about people, not beliefs. A corollary notion is that if someone can attract you to a religion, then they can also drive you away from it. This is a big deal in jesus worship, with it’s intense interest in recruiting new followers. As to the matter of where you fit in if you have decided, after repeated exposure and painful contemplation, that you don’t agree with these beliefs …. I don’t have all the answers. ~ would you like a pepsi? ~ In the few days I have been reading your blog, you have had material posted every day. This gives me a reason to come here. If you keep the quantity up, the quality will take care of itself. ~ Is it ethical to modify an adjective for the purpose of creating a noun? ~ Just as you should never go grocery shopping hungry, you should never shop for clothes naked ~ It might save time in fitting rooms. ~ I would say more, and perhaps will later. Now, I have to get on the road to my job. The problem of what I call “positive facism” is not exclusive to Hollywood. Many people like to glorify the positive, and deny that anything non wonderful exists. Jesus worshipers are some of the worst. The trouble is, when the going gets dull, many people think it is a sign of weakness. If their role model does this without boredom, it must be something wrong with me. This is a problem. ~ The good news is that the “church” is located in Harlem. I think the “found in Atlanta” business is a mistake. We have enough weirdos already. ~ All we know about Jesus is what the bible tells us. It really isn’t very much. We choose which parts to focus on. What you think about Jesus says more about you than it does Jesus. ~ ” dude who is the most popular person everywhere he goes” One exception might be the place where they screamed “crucify him”. ~ You should be careful when you say americans should quit consuming stupid cultural material. They might quit reading your blog. ~ Actually, they are Irish. It should read the O’Nomatopoeia empire. ~ It was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. The formerly homeless man had some good stories. Unfortunately, only so much can make it into one conversation. The next time an *official blogger* comes to a coffe shop with free parking, I will think about stopping by. ~ What goes around comes around. A lot of preachers say hurtful things. People like to get even with the hired entertainement.~ Holy straw man. Did you write the “Rachel” letter, so that you could reply to it? ~ changing the c, at the end of his name, to o … was a stroke of genius ~ 1-The bearded man currently lives in Americus GA. This is in south Georgia. It is just down the road from Plains. He calls Jimmy Carter “Cousin Jimmy.”2- I have written at great length about the concept of prayer. While it may have some value to others, it is a casualty of my horrific experience with Jesus. I just don’t know what to make of it. 3- It is said that prayer is talking to G-d, while meditation is listening. It has been my experience that many Jesus worshipers talk too much. 4- It would be a wonderful thing if people were as proud of their ability to listen as they were of the clever things that they say. ~ Nothing about midtown is bottomless. ~ What is Socoilogy? ~ 1-What is this about? It is frustrating to come in after an altercation, and hear people talk about it, and not know what it was about. 2-Was this regarding the comments about SMS? I don’t know the specifics of the situation. However, there is a cycle of elation at finding a tribe to belong to, and then disillusionment when you learn that the players are human. 3- I agree with the need to maintain a safe space here. On the other hand, the concept of removing someone from the group should be done very, very carefully. I have said things that bothered people, and been shunned as a result. I suspect that I was misunderstood. Since almost nothing was said directly to me, I have no way of knowing. ~ Is the adjective necessary? When a parent mocks a person, they may be mocking their own child. ~ thank you for not embedding the text on the picture ~ This is a nice image. Whoever (Whosoever) created this took the time to make his text come out as a solid rectangle. Happy Pie Day ~ ” All the treasure in the world can’t buy peace in your mind and soul” It can buy dandy image manipulation software, but won’t give you the taste to use it properly. ~ WDSTF is almost thirty years old. An update is needed by a person gifted in musical communication ~ do you use the buzz, or the radio? ~ white trashcan ~ You do not paste inspiring quotes over your photographs. Thank you. ~ Maybe we could keep the initials GSV, and have a different acronym for every event. Gorgon Serpent Vitals Great Southern Voters Gross Spam Version Geraldo Samuel Voytek ~ Is that where the expression “gay card” came from? ~ “Ever notice how ‘What the hell’ is always the right answer?” ― Marilyn Monroe The word on this quote The Actress, a character based on Marilyn, in the movie Insignificance. Her exact words were: “Have you ever noticed how ‘What the hell’ is always the right decision to make?” ~ #WhiteManMarchProtestSigns grow up #WhiteManMarchProtestSigns you don’t have to shout ~ You can take it to the next gathering. Someone might need a way to fly home. ~ Diaspora Organic Group DOG ~ Maybe the person meant to ask what country his family is from. Why is that bigoted? ~ Fred Phelps is an attention whore. Let’s ignore his funeral.~ I is the shortest, skinniest, word in the language. Those qualities apply to palindromic usage. The lower case has an ornamental tittle. Sarah Palin, the dromic politician, likes to talk about I. ~ Campbell’s chicken noodle soup was originally called Noodle soup with chicken. It did not sell well, and was going to be discontinued. One day, an actor screwed up while reading a radio script, and called it chicken noodle soup. The new name caught on. ~ I thought it was Seattle. ~ Many of the political mail outs in Georgia are produced by a company called Rosetta Stone. ~ When the world turns to prayer, the people go mad ~ POC is a bad term, lumping in groups of people with different stories into one collection ~ A note to saturday: Enjoy this beautiful Angel ~ curley, larry, moe ~ it is amazing how many good lines there are in that film ~ John passes, and one remembers John’s money ~ I cleaned the lint filter in the dryer ~ Is there a recording of YOL singing that quote? ~ sweet spring is your time is my time is our time – for springtime is lovetime and viva sweet love. – e.e. cummings ~ a man is drowning 25 yards off shore. the democrat throws 50 yards of rope and doesn’t tie it to anything the republican throws 10 yards of rope, and says that swimming fifteen yards will build character ~ You your facts your logic ~ Maybe the language needs another word for people you enjoy spending time with. Maybe they are fun to be around, but are they really your friend? (no all caps, only one question mark) ~ Anyone with internet access can start a blog. If he wants this item written about, then he can do it himself. If he wants four million hits a month for his output, then he needs to get busy. ~ hbd #Elton, #Aretha, #Flannery O’Connor ~ Some give Mr. Hirshfeld the credit, or blame, for coining the term racism. ~ there are no air ducks anywhere ducks live in water ~ is that why so many bellies are round? ~ Someone needs to stay at work while parents take care of sick kids ~ Pictures are from The Library of Congress. ~ Selah



























































































































































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