The Daily Dose/Thursday, July 14, 2022
The Daily Dose/July 14, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off is back from hiatus, but is not running today. It will return.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – At the hotel, Sparrow deals with another hippie. Today’s Diary.
There was another guy who needed a shower checking in this morning…I thought these non-bathers had fled town because their gathering in a forest north here ended days ago…The guys generally need haircuts, too, their hair long and braided, and this guy smelled so bad we went and stole a can of industrial strength deodorizer from Gloria’s office.
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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
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 1965 & 2015 – Humans begin and end their quest to photograph the planets in the Solar System as Mariner 4 sends the first pictures of Mars back to Earth and New Horizons completes its flyby of Pluto. Both missions were launched by the US, Mariner 4 in 1964 and New Horizons in 2006, and both performed their missions flawlessly. Communications with Mariner 4 were terminated in December 1967 and it remains in heliocentric orbit, while New Horizons is expected to continue its expedition until the late 2030s.
In 1963 – Jacques Anquetil of France becomes the first person to win the Tour de France four times, taking the lead for good after winning the 17th stage and defeating Spain’s Federico Bahamontes by 3 minutes, 35 seconds. The race had begun on June 23 and consisted of 2,571 miles over 21 stages and the following year Anquetil would become the first to win the Tour five times, a total since matched by four others. The 2022 Tour is in progress and will finish in Paris on July 24 after 21 stages and 2,081.5 miles.
In 1968 – Tammy Wynette is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the third and final consecutive week with D-I-V-O-R-C-E. It was the fourth of 17 #1 country songs and the fifth of 30 Top 10 songs for Wynette in a chart career that spanned from 1966 through 1998. The song also went #1 country in Canada and peaked at #63 on the Hot 100, Wynette’s second of twelve pop hits.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat…intangible and indescribable.
Henry David Thoreau
Walden
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The mayor of New York City during the 1977 blackout was Abraham Beame.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
How many #1 country songs did Tammy Wynette have in Canada? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Wednesday, July 13, 2022
The Daily Dose/July 13, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
CAPSULE BOOK REVIEW: Walden, by Henry David Thoreau: Regular readers of the crap have heard us blab this before: one of the pleasures of reading is re-reading old favorites. We indulge in this from time to time, but it’s rare when we go 30 years between readings.
Running The Numbers: We were 26 or so when we read it the first time and we’re 56 now. Thirty years. And if 30 years pass before we read it again, we’ll be 86, a fright on first consideration, but 56 would’ve been a fright at 26, and life – outside of needing reading glasses and shopping lists now – is good; we have 24 hours every day and we do our darndest to put everyone to work for us, plus we get to write for you, a nice prize.
Some Philosophy Crap: Thirty years is a long time for us humans and while we’re still the same person, chasing our few attainments and even more failures has made us completely different, too, just like Walden is the same book it was thirty years ago and was completely different this time around. This can be measured in the number of quotes we found worthy of inclusion in our personal quote book: 30 years ago we found 15 quotes worthy of inclusion, while this time around there were 80 new quotes, which is pleasing because it means the past three decades haven’t been spent marking time.
Oh, Jesus H: So if it’s another thirty years before we read Walden again, our good fortune. One, we made it to 86, and, two, would that the next 30 years sail us off to the harbors these past 30 years have.
Yeah, Yeah…Whatever: Walden was published in 1854 and chronicles Thoreau’s time living for two years in a cabin he built at Walden Pond in Massachusetts in the 1840s.
A Break In The Action: Here is the Daily Dose rating system: 1 – The Very Best; 2 – Very Good; 3 – Good; 4 – Average; 5 – A Steaming Pile
Final Ranking: 1 – Walden is a triumph on both a naturalist and philosophical scale, a book as good as our species has produced.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow deals with a guest. Today’s Diary.
Both his hair and beard are long and scruffy and he has a gut that you used to be able to pitch batting practice off of but which gravity has now taken hold of…
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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
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 1977 – Power goes out to almost all of New York City. The incident began at 8:34 pm when several lightning strikes caused transmission lines to be overloaded and eventually sufficient power could not be generated and the entire system shut down at 9:37 pm. The blackout resulted in rioting and over 1,600 stores being looted, with damage estimated at over $300 million, about $1.3 billion in today’s money. Power began being restored the following morning and was not fully restored until 10:39 pm.
In 1930 – The first soccer World Cup begins in Montevideo, Uruguay, with France defeating Mexico 4-1 and the US defeating Belgium 3-0 in matches played simultaneously. Thirteen teams were divided into four groups, with the group winners advancing to the semifinals and the first goal in World Cup history was scored by Lucien Laurent of France. Uruguay, Yugoslavia, Argentina, and the US advanced to the semifinals, with Uraguay defeating Argentina 4-2 in the finals on July 30.
In 1974 – George McCrae is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Rock Your Baby. The song went to #1 in ten other countries, including Norway and Great Britain, also peaked at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, and remains McCrae’s only #1 pop and soul hit. The song was written by Harry Casey and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band and was not originally intended for McRae, but he could reach high notes Casey couldn’t.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…and there are whole nations in that condition, nations without fancy or imagination, whose vast abdomens betray them.
Henry David Thoreau
Walden
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The golf tournaments that now comprise the Grand Slam are the Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open, and the British Open.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who was the mayor of New York City during the 1977 blackout? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Tuesday, July 12, 2022
The Daily Dose/July 12, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off remains MIA.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow whines. Today’s Diary.
Proof that ol’ Sparrow will whine about anything – as if further proof were required – can be found in the fact that he is already fretting about how 7.5 hours in the sack might affect the Tuesday Sleep Session (TSS).
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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
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 1973 – The sixth floor of the National Personnel Records Center in St Louis catches fire, destroying millions of military records. The entire facility lacked both heat and smoke detectors and sprinklers, was out of control for 22 hours, and was not declared out for five days. The cause of the fire was never determined with any certainty, but an electrical short has long been suspected. The fire destroyed the records of over 16 million veterans, mostly Army and Air Force personnel.
In 1930 – Bobby Jones of the US becomes the second golfer to win four US Opens, shooting a final round 75 and defeating Macdonald Smith by two strokes in Edina, Minnesota. Jones joined Willie Anderson of Scotland as the only other four-time winner, a feat later matched by Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus. Earlier in the year Jones had won the British Amateur and the British Open and later in the year would win the US Amateur to become the only golfer to win the Grand Slam.
In 2003 – Beyonce featuring Jay-Z is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of eight consecutive weeks with Crazy In Love. It was the second Top 40 hit for Beyonce, her second of 17 Top 10 hits, and her first of five #1 songs. The song went to #1 in four other countries, including Croatia and Great Britain, would later spend three weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 4th-biggest song of the year. The song also won Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, an award first issued in 2002.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
It was sailing by dead reckoning to them, and they saw not clearly how to make their port…
Henry David Thoreau
Walden
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The last American to win an Olympic pole vault gold medal was Katie Nageotte at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What golf tournaments now comprise the Grand Slam? – Answer next time!
The Diary of a Nobody/July 11
It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life…
Monday, July 11
There was a phone call right when I reported for duty and it was this guy who said he worked for the restaurant asking for Amy…Or he thought it was Amy…He wanted the gal working this afternoon and we told him we’re not in the habit of giving out employee information and could we help him???…Well, he had a complaint, but it was so secret he wouldn’t tell me the problem or even his name…We don’t have the entire front desk schedule committed to memory so we were non-committal as to when Amy would be back or even if she was the one here today, and I ended up asking this dipwad if I could be of further non-service to him before hanging up.
The Daily Dose/Monday, July 11, 2022
The Daily Dose/July 11, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off remains MIA.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has the latest news from the hotel on the 3-hole punch. Today’s Diary.
The big news is the 3-hole punch is back in its rightful place on the back office desk, off to the left, next to the printer…
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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
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 1804 – Alexander Hamilton, a former Treasury Secretary, is shot in a duel by Vice President Aaron Burr in Weehawken, New Jersey, the end of a bitter feud between the two men. No conclusive account of the duel exists, though History seems content with the notion that Hamilton fired first, into a tree above Burr. Hamilton was taken across the river to New York City, where dueling was illegal, and died the next day. Burr remains the only sitting vice president to participate in a duel.
In 1912 – Six men win medals in the pole vault competition at the Stockholm Summer Olympics. Harry Babcock of the US took the gold medal, while two men tied for the silver medal and three men tied for the bronze medal and this remains the only time six medals have been awarded for one sport. Pole vaulting developed from the skill of vaulting over marshes in the Netherlands and distance vaulting competitions are still held in countries around the North Sea.
In 1960 – The Hollywood Argyles are at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the only week with Alley Ooop. The song also went to #1 in New Zealand, peaked at #24 in Great Britain, at #3 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was its 16th-biggest song of the year. It was the only chart single for the studio group, making them the second of 14 ultimate one-hit wonders, acts whose only Hot 100 entry goes to #1. The Hollywood Argyles took its name from the intersection their recording studio was located at, Hollywood Blvd and Argyle St.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
I believe that men are generally still a little afraid of the dark, though the witches are all hung, and Christianity and candles have been introduced.
Henry David Thoreau
Walden
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The only major league hitter to have four runs batted in in a game where he hit four home runs is Mike Cameron in 2002.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who was the last American to earn an Olympic pole vault gold medal? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Sunday, July 10, 2022
The Daily Dose/July 10, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.
1. College Football – With NCAA providing even less leadership than usual – as if that were possible – the inmates are running the asylum now, with SB5 pollsters “pretty sure” USC/UCLA move to Big Ten is just tip of the iceberg as college football marching bands to be instructed to play “Send in the Clowns” and Pink Floyd’s “Money” from now on when teams run onto field.
2. Shinzo Abe – Former Japanese prime minister shot to death at party campaign rally in assassination that has US right-wing gun nuts achieving and maintaining states of arousal as shooter used homemade gun…Props to China for sending condolences day after rest of world did.
3. USA! USA! – New three (3)-hole staple, following Lauren Daigle and Donald Trump…Americans heroically putting COVID, Russia/Ukraine war, regular mass shootings behind them in order to focus on college football realignment…America still firmly entrenched in place that is far closer to oblivion that awaits it than respect it once had.
4. President Joe Biden – It’s not possible to be a worse president than Donald Trump, but boy, SB5 pollsters “strongly suspect” Biden, unimaginative and uninspiring, will eventually be cast into Jimmy Carter pile…SB5 pollsters “strongly suspect” Democrats know this and remain hopeful he won’t run for reelection.
5. Fake News – Click here for a roundup of what the wizards around us were believing this week, courtesy of the AP.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
It’s Read Free Sunday (RFS) at The Diary.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has a guest complain about a bear stalking the parking lot. Today’s Diary.
And like some others, her tone implied Bear Removal was my responsibility as if they were neighborhood rapscallions who could be told to scoot and not wild animals looking for food…Bear Removal, of course, is not our responsibility; Bear Avoidance is my responsibility, and hers, too actually, after I told her there was nothing to be done about the bear, except staying out of its way.
———
Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
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 1962 – The world’s first communications satellite, known as Telestar, is launched by the United States. The first, non-public pictures were relayed two days later and the first public broadcast occurred two weeks later, coverage of a Chicago Cubs baseball game when the signal was acquired before the scheduled speaker, President John F Kennedy, was ready. Telestar 2 would be launched the following May and while neither remains in service, both are still in Earth orbit.
In 1936 – Chuck Klein of the Philadelphia Phillies ties the major league record for most home runs in a game in a 9-6, 10-inning win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Klein had four home runs to the tie record done three times previously, and went 4-for-5 on the day, with six runs batted in and he was the second of three Phillies to do it, joining Ed Delahanty and preceding Mike Schmidt. The feat has been done 18 times total, most recently by J.D. Martinez of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017.
In 1976 – Aretha Franklin is at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Hot Soul Singles chart – for the third of four consecutive weeks with Something He Can Feel. It was the 16th of a soul chart record 20 #1 songs for Franklin, a mark later tied by Stevie Wonder and now held by Drake. The song was written by Curtis Mayfield, peaked at #28 on the Hot 100, and in 1992 a version by En Vogue also went to #1 on the soul chart and #6 on the Hot 100.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
By closing the eyes and slumbering, and consenting to be deceived by shows, men establish and confirm their daily life of routine and habit…
Henry David Thoreau
Walden
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The major league record for the most batters striking out in a nine-inning game is 20, done several times, most recently by the Detroit Tigers in 2019.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who is the only player to have four runs batted in in a game where he hit four home runs? – Answer next time!