Sunday, May 7, 2017
A skill with limited applications
Thank goodness that real life doesn't require you to solve geometric proofs. Geometry class gave me fits when I took it 30 years ago and still strikes me as uncomfortably abstract. I'm thankful that I don't have to prove triangles congruent in order to make a living, or I'd starve.
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Finishing the sentence XXXVI
This is an unfinished sentence I wrote and some responses it elicited in November 1988:
Tranquility prevails throughout the land. However, an ominous darkness soon appears among the clouds. The thunder roars as lightning flashes on and off. To the careful observer, such conditions symbolize...
...that no matter how good someone is, the rain falls on the just as well as the unjust. (Rusty G.)
...that Art Of Noise is about to perform "Dragnet." (Scott S.)
...the closing down of the McDonald's restaurants across America. (Leigh M.)
Tranquility prevails throughout the land. However, an ominous darkness soon appears among the clouds. The thunder roars as lightning flashes on and off. To the careful observer, such conditions symbolize...
...that no matter how good someone is, the rain falls on the just as well as the unjust. (Rusty G.)
...that Art Of Noise is about to perform "Dragnet." (Scott S.)
...the closing down of the McDonald's restaurants across America. (Leigh M.)
Friday, May 5, 2017
Finishing the sentence XXXV
Sometimes, the simplest unfinished sentences I wrote elicited the widest range of responses. Here's one such sentence and its responses from the early '90s:
On second thought,...
...who is going to wash the dishes? (Michelle T.)
...I guess I am the master of my universe, and I am in control of the choices I make, thus being responsible for the consequences. (David R.)
...why should you match pairs of socks--when they'll eventually become "lone socks?" Uh, never mind... (Roberta M.)
...let's not have people over. It may scare the dog. (Doug D.)
On second thought,...
...who is going to wash the dishes? (Michelle T.)
...I guess I am the master of my universe, and I am in control of the choices I make, thus being responsible for the consequences. (David R.)
...why should you match pairs of socks--when they'll eventually become "lone socks?" Uh, never mind... (Roberta M.)
...let's not have people over. It may scare the dog. (Doug D.)
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Finishing the sentence XXXIV
An unfinished sentence I wrote and some responses it received in the early '90s:
Nobody ever told me...
...why it always seems warm during a heavy snow. (Chip C.)
...that spaghetti turns BLUE when left in the fridge for two months. YUCK! (Jenni S.)
...that there isn't any gain with some of the pain that comes with life. (Tim N.)
Nobody ever told me...
...why it always seems warm during a heavy snow. (Chip C.)
...that spaghetti turns BLUE when left in the fridge for two months. YUCK! (Jenni S.)
...that there isn't any gain with some of the pain that comes with life. (Tim N.)
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
As challenging as mastering the skill...
For anyone who has a juggling act, it must be almost as challenging to come up with banter that stretches your routine into a full-fledged act as it is to juggle items without dropping them. Otherwise, a juggler's act basically consists of him or her saying, "Look! I can juggle three oranges (or knives or chainsaws)," proving it, and then, the show's over. Michael Davis, a juggler who appeared on "Saturday Night Live" in the early '80s, was adept at keeping the audience entertained, not only with his juggling but with the monologues he performed before, during, and after keeping various items in the air. Juggling and bantering while juggling are peculiar skills to have, but the select few who master both aspects of the act can apparently have a successful career.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Finishing the sentence XXXIII
An unfinished sentence of mine and some of its responses from October 1988:
An aura of indifference is the best defense when confronted with someone who constantly...
...sings in the wrong key. (Marci S.)
...asks, "Why are you in such a bad mood?" (Jason M.)
...endeavors to force you to take a moral stand on an issue which is completely meaningless to you. (Jason F.)
An aura of indifference is the best defense when confronted with someone who constantly...
...sings in the wrong key. (Marci S.)
...asks, "Why are you in such a bad mood?" (Jason M.)
...endeavors to force you to take a moral stand on an issue which is completely meaningless to you. (Jason F.)
Monday, May 1, 2017
Finishing the sentence XXXII
Here's another unfinished sentence I wrote and the responses it elicited in the early '90s:
The 158th bizarre quirk about human nature that leaves me in a puzzled daze is...
...the ability to rationalize anything, most often used to justify the continuation of behavior that is destructive to self and others. Example: Even a monster like Hitler thought he was doing a good job. This trait obviously isn't conducive to the perpetuation of our genome, now, is it? (Randy R.)
...their tendency to slip a huge thought into a superficial conversation. (Karen B.)
...the inability of people to do the easy thing when a harder thing is available. (Chip C.)
...people who couldn't give a @#&* about the rest of the world assume they are being watched with passionate interest. (Michael M.)
...no one recognizes or likes their own voice upon hearing a recording of it. (Sean B.)
...Why is black licorice an acquired taste? Is red licorice so different? (Liz F.)
...human kindness, in the midst of telemarketers and a shifting economy. (Paul I.)
The 158th bizarre quirk about human nature that leaves me in a puzzled daze is...
...the ability to rationalize anything, most often used to justify the continuation of behavior that is destructive to self and others. Example: Even a monster like Hitler thought he was doing a good job. This trait obviously isn't conducive to the perpetuation of our genome, now, is it? (Randy R.)
...their tendency to slip a huge thought into a superficial conversation. (Karen B.)
...the inability of people to do the easy thing when a harder thing is available. (Chip C.)
...people who couldn't give a @#&* about the rest of the world assume they are being watched with passionate interest. (Michael M.)
...no one recognizes or likes their own voice upon hearing a recording of it. (Sean B.)
...Why is black licorice an acquired taste? Is red licorice so different? (Liz F.)
...human kindness, in the midst of telemarketers and a shifting economy. (Paul I.)
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