Backstairs at the Monte Carlo/November 27
The Daily Dose/Sunday, July 12, 2020
The Daily Dose/July 12, 2020
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
The Sunday Bottom 5
The very best of the very worst of the week that was.
1. College Football – Hey Big Ten and Pac-12, if it’s safe to play conference games, it’s safe to play non-conference games…On the other hand, if it’s not safe to play non-conference games, Sunday Bottom 5 pollsters “pretty sure” it isn’t safe to play conference games, either…Either way, you’re screwed, a wonderful conundrum for the rest of the NCAA that could not happen to nicer people.
2. President Donald Trump – Forget about providing even your usual lousy leadership, you have completely abdicated to the point where you are not providing any leadership whatsoever…History will remember you as a lousy leader, a petty and vindictive man of no substance whatsoever, someone whose only goal is to draw attention to himself.
3. Coronavirus – Here’s who to blame for the imbroglio: the Chinese who French kissed a bat and started its spread the virus amongst us humans…The American government for a response that was as late as it was incompetent…Everyone who doesn’t wear a mask and/or congregates with large numbers of others similarly not wearing masks…Some deaths were inevitable, but a tragedy of this scale was avoidable…We all have blood on our hands.
4. Fake News – Click here for what we were dumb enough to believe this week.
5. President Trump Fact Check – The 5-hole staple, click here for the latest misinformation and outright lies.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
Of course, it’s Read Free Sunday. Click on the links to read.
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow’s in the gym, but he does not have unlimited time. Today’s Diary.
I did another short workout today…The problem is I’ve lost three hours a day what with the end of lockdown…I lose an hour or so working out and then a couple of hours at the hotel because we’re renting more than five rooms a nite now…The daily project work is getting done, but yours truly is falling behind on some bonus stuff he’s been doing so I have to make some allowances.
I’m strong, tho…I got the upped bench press weight up nine times, up from seven last time, and I am ready to up the z-bar bicep curl and leg extensions, too.
Backstairs at the Monte Carlo: OMP and Gaylon try to stay awake while a guest fights for her life with EMTs.
You might it find it interesting to note that while we were waiting for the paramedics, and while they were working on the lady, OMP and I chatted about various things, from how we spent the holiday to his heart valve operation, though we were careful not discuss this so the guests could hear because while this was routine for us it wasn’t for them. D-Dawg and I were at one of these once and we pretended to take action on whether or not the guest would or would not be transported.
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On This Date
History’s long march to today.
In 1862 – President Abraham Lincoln signs a bill authorizing a US Army Medal of Honor to be awarded “…to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action…”. This followed a similar act for US Navy personnel Lincoln had signed the previous December. To date, 3,506 people have been awarded 3,525 Medals of Honor. Of the 19 multiple recipients, 14 were award Medals for separate actions, while the remainder were awarded both the Army and Navy Medals of Honor.
In 1890 – The Brooklyn Wonders and the Buffalo Bisons (Players League) establish a major league record for most runs in a game, 44, in a 28-16 Brooklyn victory. The record was broken in 1922 when the Chicago Cubs defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 26-23, a record that still stands. The starting pitcher for Buffalo was one Mr Lewis, who pitched three innings, giving 13 hits and 20 runs. It was Lewis’s only major league game, and he finished with an 0-1 record and a 60.00 ERA, which remains the highest of any pitcher in major league history who started his only major league game and pitched at least one complete inning.
In 1969 – Too Busy Thinking About My Baby by Marvin Gaye is at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Best Selling Soul Singles chart – for the sixth and final week. It was the sixth of 13 #1 soul songs for Gaye and his 25th of 39 Top 10 soul hits and was Billboard’s biggest soul hit of the year. The song also peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and at #5 in Great Britain.
Quotebook
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
There’s a God for you, but is there any for us? – George, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
It’s not who you know, but what you know.
Babe Ruth’s career record as a pitcher was 94-46 with a 2.28 ERA.
Today’s Stumper
Cheaper than Trivia Night at the bar.
How many players have pitched extra-inning complete games in their major league appearance? – Answer next time!
The Diary of a Nobody/July 11
Meet Sparrow, an average man passing an average life…
Saturday, July 11
A bit after midnight a tall, lanky scruffy sort wandered up looking for a key to 111…He had long hair and had what appeared to be a narrow table runner wrapped around him like a shawl…He also appeared to be lightly stoned, probably not a coincidence…I am hardly Mr Table Runner, but it sort of looked like the ones we use on the table in the lobby that hosts morning coffee service.
Backstairs at the Monte Carlo/November 26
November 26
Yours truly made $30 in gratuities (dealers call them tokes) last night, $30 that was as appreciated as they were unreported. They came in the form of three different tips from two guests, meaning one guest was so thrilled with my service he tipped me twice.
The Daily Dose/Saturday, July 11, 2020
The Daily Dose/July 11, 2020
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
DRY, TECHNICAL MATTER: One of the things you learn over the years is that language is rather dynamic. This lesson is offered as a kid reading older books and you find yourself thinking wow, people sure don’t talk like this anymore.
Since language is a necessity, most of the changes are useful, though as we age and get fussier we’re finding we don’t agree with a lot of them. We still don’t like the term ‘walk-off win’ and ‘moving forward’ and ‘your fine’ will always annoy us.
Fly In The Ointment: Something else that has started annoying us recently is the infernal use of the word ‘perfect’ all the time. We’ve run into it twice this week: the first time in a restaurant and the second, the following day, on the phone with a young lady looking to update some information for the county veterans service office job I have.
Please Pass The Dry, Technical Matter: Look, people, perfect means flawless, as good as something can get, utterly without defect. It is not an appropriate response when I’ve ordered hash browns or when I report that my email hasn’t changed. These things aren’t perfect. They may be tasty or good to know, but they are not perfect.
Boy, You Are Really On The Rag Today: Perfect should really only be used in a baseball or bowling context – where perfect games are possible – or when referring to Him. At any other time, its use should be judicious and seldom.
The Bottom Line: What should we expect, though, when awesome – which used to refer to something inspiring great admiration or fear – is used to describe pizza? These are perilous linguistic times we are living in so, moving forward, let’s watch our use of the word ‘perfect’.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody: The VA has Sparrow shaking his head.
Second, there were two medals awarded: the Vietnam Service Medal and the Vietnam Campaign Medal…Now, I’m not General MacArthur, but it seemed to both of us that this tended to signify service in Vietnam…
Backstairs at the Monte Carlo: There are a couple of evictions in the hotel.
Unofficial MCSD policy states you get two freebies, then on the third trip to your room, you’re evicted. It’s unofficial because we’ve evicted before the third offense if the guest particularly annoys us, and it is not completely out of the question for a babe built like a brick shithouse, or better yet, two babes built like brick shithouses, to get warned every hour on the hour without actually being evicted.
Click on the button to get unlimited access to these two American classics for only $2.99.
On This Date
History’s long march to today.
In 1897 – Swedish explorer and engineer Salomon August Andree and two others take off from Dane Island, Norway in an attempt to fly a balloon to the North Pole. They crashed on the packed ice of the Arctic Ocean after a couple of days and survived for a while on the provisions they brought and the walruses and polar bears they shot, but would die in early October. The remains, including the bodies, plus diaries and photographic film, weren’t found until 1930.
In 1914 – Babe Ruth makes his major league debut in a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Naps, now known as the Indians. Ruth was the starting pitcher and got the win, giving up three runs and eight hits in seven innings. At the plate, Ruth would go 0-2 with a strikeout. Ruth’s contract had been purchased by the Red Sox from the Providence Grays of the International League only after Connie Mack, owner of the Philadelphia A’s, passed on acquiring Ruth, Ernie Shore and Ben Egan on July 7.
In 1976 – The Starland Vocal Band is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with Afternoon Delight. It was the first of four chart singles for the group and remains their only top 40 hit. The song also went to #1 in Canada, peaked at #18 in Great Britain and won the first Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices, an award that was discontinued after 1986. A version of the song by Johnny Carver peaked at #9 on Billboard’s country chart that year.
Quotebook
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win. – Roger Bannister
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
It’s not who you know, but what you know.
Henry VIII had six wives. His first, Catherine of Aragon, produced his successor on the throne, Mary I.
Today’s Stumper
Cheaper than Trivia Night at the bar.
What was Babe Ruth’s record as a pitcher? – Answer next time!
Backstairs at the Monte Carlo/November 25
The Daily Dose/Friday, July 10, 2020
The Daily Dose
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Friends, your Daily Dose is taking the day off. It will return Saturday.
The Diary of a Nobody and Backstairs at the Monte Carlo, however, are reporting for duty as usual. Enjoy.
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow’s plan for a leisurely drive home turns into a fiasco. Today’s Diary.
GPS offered a couple of options: backtracking back to the college town and then taking a northern route through Saskatchewan, or heading back to the big city and taking the original route home…Eff this noise (as we used to say in the Navy) I thought; I won’t get home till fall…So I studied the map and realized Casinoville, a town about ten miles north of the Interstate, was due south of us…(There are several casinos there.)…I could go there and then pick up the Interstate and BOOM, I’m on the route I would be taking had I not decided to play Lewis and Clark…I don’t know why GPS didn’t suggest this route in the first place.
Backstairs at the Monte Carlo: D-Dawg and Gaylon have some laughs on a call.
…D-Dawg is standing by the armoire and he pulls out his scanner and holds it like a gun, takes a couple of steps to the bed nearest the window, rolls onto the bed and then off the far side. He checks under the bed and announces that, too, is code four (OK).
Then for reasons I am still not entirely sure of, I tried the procedure on the bed nearest the door. I plop on the mattress and roll over the side, falling to the floor like a sack of cement, which had D-Dawg laughing really hard for a long time.
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