The Daily Dose/Monday, May 30, 2022
The Daily Dose/May 30, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around our human experience.
Leading Off will return.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Chef Sparrow’s back in the kitchen. Today’s Diary.
Look, when you’ve been working scratch kitchens as long as we have, you’re always looking to innovate…
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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
History’s long march.
In 1953 – Sir Edmund Hillary of Great Britain and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal become the first humans to climb to the top of Mount Everest. On May 26 the first climbers from the expedition had come to within 300 feet of the summit before turning back due to equipment issues and Hillary and Tenzing had set out on the 28th. Though, initially, the two declined to say who had reached the summit first, in his autobiography Tenzing stated Hillary had been the first.
In 1977 – A.J. Foyt becomes the first driver to win four Indianapolis 500s, beating Tom Sneva by 28.63 seconds, with Al Unser finishing third. Previously, Foyt had won in 1967, 1964, and 1961 and the mark has since been tied by Unser, Rick Mears, and Helio Castroneves. During qualifying, Tom Sneva had become the first driver to top 200 mph and won the pole, and Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the race, lasting 27 laps.
In 1965 – The Beach Boys are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Help Me, Rhonda. It was the 15th of 34 Top 40 hits for the group, their ninth of 15 Top 10 hits, and their second of four #1 songs. The song also went to #1 in Canada, peaked at #28 in Great Britain, and was co-written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, with Wilson saying Rhonda was not based on a real person. Lead vocals were sung by Al Jardine.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Well, George, we knocked the bastard off.
Sir Edmund Hillary
To fellow expedition member George Lowe, after returning to base camp after summiting Everest.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Stevie Wonder’s last appearance on a Billboard singles chart came in 2020 when Where Is Our Love Song with Gary Clark, Jr peaked at #21 on the soul chart and #23 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who was Mount Everest named after? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Sunday, May 29, 2022
The Daily Dose/May 29, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
The Sunday Bottom 5
A ranking of some things.
1. School Mass Shootings – Long ago these stopped being news, of course, because news by definition is new and malcontents shooting up schools is no longer new…At least in America, where the only question is when the next one will happen and not if…SB5 pollsters “pretty sure” we can pass all the gun laws we want, but as long as America has a violent government it will have violent citizens.
2. US Border Patrol – Despite students calling 911 to encourage police participation, police stood back for an hour…SB5 pollsters mindful that few situations are as chaotic as this but, boy, waiting this long probably got more kids killed…Thank God Border Patrol said eff this noise and came in and took charge.
3. Donald Trump – The 3-hole staple as well as a liar, sexual predator, ignoramus, and insurrectionist…Instead of being banished for incompetent COVID response, Jan 6 insurrection, Trump continues to be GOP kingmaker, with 2024 GOP presidential nomination his to lose instead of being banished in shame as any other twice-impeached, ignorant, selfish blatherskite of a former president should be.
4. College Sports– College conferences now starting to take sponsorship money from online gambling sites, giving both a vested interest in minor details like betting handles, games, conference title races…Be careful and don’t be surprised if players start looking to make money to help determine certain outcomes.
5. NRA Convention Fact Check – Click here for assorted, numerous, lies and distortions from far right-wing GOP speakers at the NRA convention in Texas.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
Indeed, it’s Read Free Sunday (RFS) at The Diary.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow continues to deal with the fly infestation at the cabin. Today’s Diary.
Those fly strips, with honey used as bait, aren’t really killing flies like we thought they would…There is still only the one on the glue strip in the living room, while the remaining two or three flies continue to mock me.
———
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
History’s long march.
In 1953 – Sir Edmund Hillary of Great Britain and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal become the first humans to climb to the top of Mount Everest. On May 26 the first climbers from the expedition had come to within 300 feet of the summit before turning back due to equipment issues and Hillary and Tenzing had set out on the 28th. Though initially the two declined to say who had reached the summit first, in his autobiography Tenzing stated Hillary had reached the summit first.
In 1977 – A.J. Foyt becomes the first driver to win four Indianapolis 500s, beating Tom Sneva by 28.63 seconds, with Al Unser finishing third. Previously, Foyt had won in 1967, 1964, and 1961 and the mark has since been tied by Unser, Rick Mears, and Helio Castroneves. During qualifying, Tom Sneva had become the first driver to top 200 mph at Indy and won the pole, and Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the race, lasting 27 laps.
In 1965 – The Beach Boys are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Help Me, Rhonda. It was the 15th of 34 Top 40 hits for the group, their ninth of 15 Top 10 hits, and their second of four #1 songs. The song also went to #1 in Canada and peaked at #28 in Great Britain and was co-written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, with Wilson saying Rhonda was not based on a real person. Lead vocals were sung by Al Jardine.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Well, George, we knocked the bastard off.
Sir Edmund Hillary
To George Lowe, after returning to base camp after summiting Everest.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Stevie Wonder’s last appearance on a Billboard singles chart came in 2020 when Where Is Our Love Song with Gary Clark, Jr peaked at #21 on the soul chart and #23 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who was Mount Everest named after? – Answer next time!
The Diary of a Nobody/May 28
It’s Read Free Sunday (RFS) at The Diary.
It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life…
Saturday, May 28
Assistant Front Desk Q was there when yours truly reported for duty…He said Amy, who’s usually there on Friday nites, had come down with a gall bladder problem and had called off…Now, AGM Candace had stayed until 1730, but Q was alone after that and was busy…He said there were lots of whining guests, too, distraught over the carpet and wallpaper overhaul going on, too.
The Daily Dose/Saturday, May 28, 2022
The Daily Dose/May 28, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off remains in time-out.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has the latest MPG figure for the new ride. Today’s Diary.
This is, of course, down two MPGs from last week’s historic 40+, but it is still fine gas mileage…To encourage the new ride to pick up the MPG pace a little, I put the gas treatment in, too.
———
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
History’s long march.
In 585 BC – During a solar eclipse, fighting between the Medes and the Lydians ceases in what is now northern Turkey, which led to a truce in their six-year war. Legend holds that the eclipse had been predicted by the Greek mathematician Thales, though how is not known because at the time it was not known that eclipses were caused by the moon coming between the earth and the sun. History refers to this battle as the Battle of Eclipse and the results of the war were inconclusive.
In 1955 – Bob Sweikart wins the Indianapolis 500, 2 minutes and 43 seconds ahead of a car driven by both Tony Bettenhausen and Paul Russon. It was the first and only Indy win for Sweikhart, who also won the AAA championship that year. Two-time defending champion Bill Vukovich died in a multi-car crash on lap 56 and in qualifying Manny Ayulo had also died. Sweikart himself died in a crash in a sprint car race in 1956.
In 1977 – Stevie Wonder is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the second of three consecutive weeks with Sir Duke. The song also went to #1 in Canada, peaked at #2 in Great Britain, was in its only week at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, and was Billboard’s 18th-biggest song of the year. It was the sixth of nine #1 pop hits for Wonder and his 13th of a record 20 #1 soul hits, a mark shared with Aretha Franklin and now held by Drake (25). Wonder wrote the song as a tribute to Duke Ellington, and Count Basie, Glen Miller, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald are also mentioned.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
It is not what you look at, but what you see.
Henry David Thoreau
Diary entry, 8/5/1851
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Eddie Arcaro has won six Preakness Stakes, the most of any jockey.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was Stevie Wonder’s last appearance on a Billboard singles chart? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Thursday, May 27, 2022
The Daily Dose/May 27, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off remains in time-out.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow’s day off is pretty busy. Today’s Diary.
Busy enuff so that it will be good to get a break by going back to the veterans service office (VSO) Friday for what should be a leisurely day.
———
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
History’s long march.
In 1703 – The city of St Petersburg is founded by Russian Tsar Peter the Great to give Russia a year-round seaport. The city is located at the mouth of the Neva River, about halfway between Finland and Estonia. The city served as Russia’s capital from 1713-1728 and again from 1730-1918, when it was moved to Moscow and today has a population of roughly 5.3 million, the northernmost European city with more than one million people. The site had originally been the site of a fortress built by Swedes in 1611.
In 1873 – The first Preakness Stakes is held at Pimlico race track in Baltimore. Survivor won the 1.5-mile race by ten lengths in 2 minutes, 43 seconds, and earned $3,000, about $58,000 in today’s money. The race was run on assorted dates and distances for many years and has been run two weeks after the Kentucky Derby since 1932 and at a mile and three-sixteenths (9.5 furlongs) since 1925. The race was held in New York City – in the Bronx and Coney Island – between 1890 and 1908.
In 1972 – The Chi-Lites are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only week with Oh Girl. It was the third of five Top 40 hits for the group, their second Top 10 hit, and remains their only #1 song. The song peaked at #14 in Great Britain and in June spent two weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart, their second and final #1 soul song (Have You Seen Her, two weeks, 1971). The song returned to the Hot 100 in 1990 when a version by Paul Young peaked at #8.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Mere longevity is a good thing for those who watch life from the sidelines. For those who play the game, an hour may be a year, a single day’s work an achievement for an eternity.
Gabriel Heatter
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Althea Gibson’s best finish on the LPGA tour was a tie for second at the 1970 Buick Open.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Which jockey has won the most Preakness Stakes? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Thursday, May 26, 2022
The Daily Dose/May 26, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off remains in time-out.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has the latest morning coffee service news from the hotel. Today’s Diary.
The scourge of Italian sweet creme creamer is, finally, over…
———
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
History’s long march.
In 1927 – The 15,007,003 and final Model T car rolls off of the Ford assembly line. At its peak, the Model T had a top speed of around 45 mph and got between 16 and 21 miles per gallon. The first Model T had been produced in 1908 and had cost $875, about $25,500 in today’s money and later the assembly line would make the car affordable for almost every working American. The Model T remained the largest selling car in history until 1972 when it was replaced by the Volkswagon Beetle.
In 1956 – Althea Gibson of the United States wins the French Open singles title, defeating defending champion Angela Mortimer of Great Britain 6-0, 12-10. It was the first and only French Open singles title for Gibson and her first of five Grand Slam singles titles. Gibson also won the doubles title with Angela Buxton, Gibson’s first of five Grand Slam doubles titles and she also won one Grand Slam mixed doubles title.
In 1973 – Jeanne Pruett is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for the first of two consecutive weeks with Satin Sheets. It was the fifth country hit for Pruett, her first of five country Top 10s, and remains her only #1 song. The song also went #3 country in Canada and peaked at #28 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The song was written by John Volinkaty, who said the inspiration came at the grocery store and took him five minutes to write when he got home.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
We were all in it together…There was no escape. We were all going to be flushed away.
Charles Bukowski
Ham On Rye
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The first non-American to hold the world high jump record was Yuri Stepanov of the Soviet Union in 1957. The world high jump record was first recognized in 1912.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
After her tennis career, Althea Gibson competed on the LPGA tour. What was her highest finish as a professional golfer? – Answer next time!