The Daily Dose/December 31, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Editor’s Note: Today’s Leading Off segment features our usual New Year’s Eve column. It’s rewritten somewhat every year to keep it fresh, but rest assured it’s as dull as ever. 

2020 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024: ON IT!: As you read this the planet has been ringing in the new year for several hours already, having started at 3 am Mountain Standard Time (MST) almost due south of Hawaii with festivities in the Christmas Islands and Kiribati, despite the fact these places should be east of the International Date Line and amongst the last to leave the old year.

Dry, Technical Matter: 15 minutes later the Chatham Islands celebrated and at 6 am MST New Year celebrations began in much of Australia.

And You Wonder Why You Don’t Get Invited To More (Any) Parties: The International Date Line is an imaginary line of demarcation more or less at 180 degrees longitude, directly opposite the Prime Meridian (0 degrees longitude). It veers east and west though, to accommodate assorted international borders.

And You Wonder Why You Don’t Get Invited To More (Any) Parties II: Time and how its kept – not to mention civil lines of demarcation – have always thrilled us (a lot) more than they probably should, so when the New Year starts around the world tends to interest us. 

Dry, Technical Matter II: Kiribati changed its position vis-a-vis the International Date Line in the 1990s after it acquired territory that caused it to straddle the International Date Line. So, in accordance with international convention, it moved the dateline east so it was completely west of it, placing it in the first group of jurisdictions to mark the New Year.

Yay For More Dry, Technical Matter: The International Date Line is so jury-rigged Samoa is one of the first to ring in a New Year while American Samoa, a mere 100 or miles to the east of Samoa, is the last inhabited place on the planet to ring in 2024. 

Oh, Jesus H: Both Baker Island and Howland Island, uninhabited US possessions near the equator, are the last places to enter a New Year, doing so Sunday morning at 5 am Mountain Standard Time.

Please Pass The Dry, Technical Matter: Due to the bastardizing of the International Date Line, it now takes 26 hours for a planet theoretically divided into 24 time zones to have everyone ring in the New Year.

Please Pass The Dry, Technical Matter II: Technically, if you’re at the South Pole you can ring in 2024 whenever the hell you want. There are 24 time zones there because all of them converge at Amundson-Scott Station, but because virtually all access to the South Pole is from New Zealand, they keep New Zealand time.

The Bottom Line: As long as New Year’s Eve remains the last day of the year, we will continue to trot this column out. Thank you for reading. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow provides further proof he will whine about anything. Today’s Diary. 

…we are whining about having overslept today (see Sleep Log below).

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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1992 – The country of Czechoslovakia is dissolved becoming the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The split was spurred by the overthrow of the Communists in 1989 and the split was so peaceful History sometimes refers to it as the Velvet Divorce. Czechoslovakia had formed at the end of World War I when Austria-Hungary dissolved with the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy.

In 1954 – The Fort Wayne Pistons and the Minneapolis Lakers establish a new NBA record for most free throws attempted in a regulation game in a 103-91 Lakers victory. The teams combined to shoot 127 free throws, to break the record of 119 established by the Lakers and the Boston Celtics on November 24 and the record still stands. The teams combined for 74 personal fouls and made 52 free throws (44%). 

In 1977 – The Bee Gees are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second of three consecutive weeks with How Deep Is Your Love. The song went to #1 in five other countries, including Brazil and Finland, peaked at #3 in Great Britain, was Billboard’s 6th-biggest song of 1978, and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Group. It was the fourth of nine #1 songs for the group and spent 33 weeks on the Hot 100, including 17 weeks in the Top 10 and nine weeks in the Top 3

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

When the hour of the great man has struck he rises to leadership; but before his time has come he is hampered in all that he attempts.
Lao Tzu

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Margaret Court has won the most women’s Australian Open singles titles with eleven between 1960 and 1973.

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

Which teams hold the NBA record for most free throws attempted in an overtime game? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/December 30, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off will return. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary is free today. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has the latest concerning his new coffee machine. Today’s Diary. 

Even more big news is we found another filter for the water purifier on the kitchen tap, so we installed it (the old one ran out months ago) and used that for coffee this morning and boy or boy, let me tell you, it’s as if we’d been using yak piss…The taste was noticeably better with filtered water, another Coffee Bonus (CB)…

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Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 2006 – Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed at a joint Iraq/US base in Baghdad. Hussein had been arrested in Dece,ber 2003 and been convicted by an Iraqi special tribunal for the 1982 massacre of 148 Iraqi Shi’ites. Hussein was led to the gallows by several masked executioners and Hussein was jeered by – and he sparred with – some there to see him die. Three co-defendants would be executed in January. 

In 1977 – Evonne Goolagong-Cawley wins the Australian Open defeating Helen Gourlay Cawley (both Australian; no relation) 6-3, 6-0. It was the fourth and final Australian Open title for Goolagong-Cawley and her fifth of six Grand Slam singles title and the second and final Grand Slam runner-up finish for Gourlay-Cawley (no titles). The pair shared the doubles title with Mona Schallau Guerrant and Kerry Melville Reid when the final was rained out. 

In 1950 – Patti Page is at #1 on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart – a predecessor to the Hot 100 – for the first of nine consecutive weeks with the Tennessee Waltz. It was the third of 22 Top ten songs for Page and her second of four #1s in a chart career that spanned from 1948 until 1982. The song also went to #2 on Billboard’s country chart and was originally scheduled to be the B side of a Christmas record. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

{This} whole book…has been written under the influence of a kind of religious awe produced in the author’s mind by the view of that irresistible revolution which has advanced for centuries in spite of every obstacle and which is still advancing in the midst of the ruins it has caused.
Alexis De Tocqueville
Democracy In America

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

Madonna has had 13 #1 songs in Great Britain.

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

What woman has won the most Australian Open singles titles? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!

The Diary is still free until the end of the year. Click here to get 4Ever & Ever access for only $8.99 and beat the New Year price increase to $24.99.

It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life…

Friday, December 29
The big news at the gym this morning was that we wore the elbow sleeve for the first time in two or three workouts…Recall Sparrow First Aid (SFA) has more or less eliminated our right elbow pain when we did cable tricep pulldowns, but here’s the deal: we are going to resume bench pressing here soon and the sleeve will be a nice, extra precaution. 

Continue reading →

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The Daily Dose/December 29, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off will return. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

The Diary won’t be free forever. Click here to avoid the January 1 price increase.

The Diary of a Nobody – The cat’s not happy. Today’s Diary.

We were both at the kitchen table when she knocked on the door and the cat knows a knock on the door generally means a non-approved human is coming in and she fled to bedroom, where she stood watch under the bed…She was hissing when she came out after the all-clear had been sounded, but she got over that within an hour…

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Click here to get in on the laughs.

Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1996 – The Guatemalan Civil War comes to an end when a peace treaty between the government and assorted leftist rebels is signed. The war had begun in November 1960 when a military revolt against the current military government failed. The opposition continued to fight against assorted, US-backed governments until the signing of the UN-backed treaty. Guatemala has had a democratic government since 1984. 

In 1982 – Paul (Bear) Bryant ends his college football coaching career in 21-15 win over Illinois in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. Bryant had begun his college coaching career at Texas A&M in 1954, moved to Alabama in 1958, and retired with six national championships, 14 SEC titles, one Southwestern Conference championship, and his 323 wins were a major division record at the time, a mark now held by Joe Paterno with 409. Bryant would die the following January at age 69. 

In 1984 – Madonna is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second of six consecutive weeks with Like A Virgin. The song also went to #1 in Australia and Canada, peaked at #3 in Great Britain, and at #9 on Billboard’s soul chart. It was the first chart single for Madonna, and her first of 38 Top 10 hits – a mark good for third on the all-time list behind Taylor Swift and Drake – and twelve #1s. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

Science is composed of errors, but errors it is right to make, for they lead step by step to the truth.
Jules Verne
Journey to the Center of the Earth

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The NHL record for most career assists by a goalie is 48, by Tom Barrasso, from 1983-2002.  

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

How many #1 songs has Madonna had in Great Britain? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/December 28, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off will return. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

Friends, The Diary is free through the end of the year. This is a shameless attempt to sell you 4Ever & Ever access for $8.99. The price goes up to $24.99 at the first of the year. Buy now. 

The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow listens to a woman yap. Today’s Diary. 

Nobody yaps like Mexican women…We have street cred here…Russian and Jewish women come close, tho…

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Click here to get in on the laughs. 

Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

———

On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1972 – The last military draft in the US comes to an end. Conscription for the Vietnam War had begun in 1969 with a draft lottery and the final 300 or so draftees scheduled to report on this date weren’t able to because federal officers were closed for a day mourning following the death of former president Harry Truman. In January, the US would announce a return to an all-volunteer armed force though draft lotteries would continue through 1975. 

In 1918 – Georges Vezina of the Montreal Canadiens becomes first goalie to record an assist in an NHL game in a 6-3 win over the Toronto Arenas. The assist came after teammate Newsy Lalonde got the puck after Vezina made a save and took it the length of the ice and scored a goal. Since then, 423 NHL goalies have recorded assists, including 27 who have recorded at least 20. 

In 1991 – Brooks & Dunn is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart – for the second and final week with My Next Broken Heart. It was the second of 52 country hits for the duo, 42 of which made the Top 10 and 21 of those went to #1. It was from the album Brand New Man, which peaked at #3 on Billboard’s country album chart. The song also went #3 country in Canada. 

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

SEALs are five minutes braver than anyone else.
Anonymous Navy SEAL

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The most recent posthumous #1 song on Billboard’s Hot 100 was XXXTentacion. He was 20 when he was shot to death on June 18, 2018 and his song Sad went to #1 on June 30.  

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

Who holds the NHL record for most career assists by a goalie? – Answer next time!

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The Daily Dose/December 27, 2023
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™

Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience. 

Leading Off will return. 

Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually. 

Everything is on the house today. Enjoy. 

The Diary of a Nobody -Dr Sparrow is in the house. Today’s Diary. 

Consider taping an ankle…Sure, your ankle is going to be sturdier, but the force it would normally absorb is distributed to the knee, which isn’t designed to take it…We could feel this using the sleeve, too…When we did hammer curls we could feel it in the shoulder, and the shoulders felt it, too, when we didn’t cable pulldowns…

The Bottom Ten/NFL Week 17 – The race for the most coveted trophy in sports – The Dan Henning Trophy, symbolic of NFL ineptitude – is winding down. 

Presuming Cardinals don’t lose next two (2) games by combined 17,000-2 score, Panthers first B-10 title there for the losing…

Titans proof that you count out team that once won consecutive B-10 titles at your peril, as Titans back in familiar haunts: a late-season B-10 survey…

Coach that can’t lose the big one stigma sure to follow Bill Belichick forever as Patriots win ends dream of Belichick becoming first coach to win Super Bowl(s), B-10 title…

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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever is only $8.99, and will go up to $24.99 on January 1. 

Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device. 

———

On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it. 

In 1831 – English biologist Charles Darwin begins a voyage on HMS Beagle, that would result in the promulgation of his theory of evolution. The voyage, mainly a survey expedition to update nautical charts, sailed around South America to Australia, around Africa, and back to Brazil before returning to England in October 1836. Darwin’s diary would result in the 1859 book On the Origin of Species, which introduced the theory of natural selection, where species evolve throughout generations, which remains a landmark work in human letters. 

In 1987 – Steve Largent of the Seattle Seahawks establishes a new NFL record for most career receptions in a 41-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Largent’s fifth reception of the game gave him 751, breaking the mark of 750 established by Charlie Joiner from 1969-86. Largent would retire in 1989 with 819 receptions, a mark that has been surpassed many times and is now held by Jerry Rice with 1,549. 

In 1980 – John Lennon is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of five consecutive weeks with (Just Like) Starting Over. Lennon had been shot death on December 8 and the song was from the album Double Fantasy which was in its first of eight consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The song went to #1 in five other countries, including Austria and Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 4th-biggest song of 1981. It was the second and final #1 song for Lennon as a solo act and was the fourth of eight posthumous #1s on the Hot 100.

Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.

At last I had the authority to give direction over the whole scene. I felt as if I were walking with Destiny, and that all my past life had been but preparation for this hour and this trial.
Winston Churchill

Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.

The Soviet Union was established in 1922. 

Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.

What was the most recent posthumous #1 song on the Hot 100? – Answer next time!

Share Gaylon! Go!