Day: July 13, 2020

A Day at the Races

Fandango11 Comments

white flag lap“Man, that guy has brass balls, doesn’t he?” Malcolm said. “I mean look at him. The dude’s totally unstoppable.”

“That’s true,” Manny said. “There’s nothing tentative about the way he’s driving.”

The fans were on their feet cheering wildly as his Indy car was about to go into the final lap and the race official waved the white flag. He had the benefit of a five second lead over the nearest driver behind him. Everyone knew that all of the Indy car records for this race were about to be shattered.

But then the driver inexplicably took his foot off of the accelerator and the cars behind him quickly zoomed by him. He ended up coming in eighth and the fans were in shock.

After the race, one of the reporters caught up with the driver and stuck a mic in his face. “What happened to you in that final lap?” the reporter asked.

“I don’t know,” the dejected driver said. “My mind just seemed to go blank.

Written for these daily prompts: Ragtag Daily Prompt (brass), Word of the Day Challenge (unstoppable), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (tentative), Your Daily Word Prompt (benefit), The Daily Spur (shattered), and Jibber Jabber (blank).

Yet More Blog Award Questions

Fandango9 Comments

0882A305-E78D-4E60-8E0D-66884FE29147Lauren, over at LSS Attitude is Gratitude, got nominated by Sadje for that award, The Real Neat Blog Award, that, like the coronavirus, is going around a lot these days. So congratulations on the award, Lauren. In her acceptance post, Lauren posed some interesting questions and invited anyone who likes to answer questions to “consider yourself nominated.”

Alright then. I like to answer questions so I’m considering myself to be nominated and I’m going to answer Lauren’s questions.

1. If you could redo high school, knowing what you know now, would you do it?

Skip high school. Why bother redoing high school if I already know what I would learn there?

2. If you are a meat eater, what is the strangest meat you have tried?

My wife and I were in Phoenix years ago and they had rattlesnake on the menu. While I thought it tasted a lot like chicken, I did notice an urge after eating it to slither away from the restaurant.

3. In your opinion, is it more important to be spiritual or religious?

Hmm. Well, as an atheist, I’m neither spiritual nor religious. That said, for others, whether spirituality or religiosity is more important is entirely up to them. Whatever floats their boat.

4. If you could be in any TV series for a few walk on spots, which one would it be? (Old or new is OK.)

When I was younger, a lot of people said that I resembled the father on the TV show “Family Ties.” My son once tried to encourage me to send in my head shot to see if I could get a recurring role as Steven Keaton’s younger brother in the show.58C89945-0714-4B11-874A-52DAFFF423E2

5. (Let’s get risky now.) Do you believe in an afterlife? If so, what is it like?

As I noted in my answer to number 3, I’m an atheist, so I don’t believe in an afterlife. I believe that when it’s over, it’s over.

6. Do you think we are headed toward a society with no actual money, just cards or codes? Is is happening in some places.

Probably. I can’t remember the last time I used cash money.

7. What stresses you more, car trouble or house repair trouble?

I don’t drive that much anymore and I keep my car in good repair. That said, house repairs tend to be more costly than car repairs, so as far as stressors are concerned, I’d go with house repairs.

On behalf of Lauren, I invite all interested parties to jump right in and join the party. Top photo image credit: Shutterstock.

At the Risk of Appearing to Not Have a Sense of Humor

Fandango23 Comments

13CD0B05-F8DF-423E-8B5A-66FA44A450E5Every Monday Paula Light gives us an opportunity to whine about something via her Monday Peeve prompt, saying that sometimes we need to vent a bit. And today I have something to vent about.

I like to think of myself as a witty person, someone who possesses a keen sense of humor. But I saw something recently that really pissed me off. The person who said it — or actually wrote it, since he posted it on an app called Nextdoor — must consider himself to be a real witty fellow, since he apparently thought what he posted was a hoot. Well, in my opinion, he isn’t a wit, he’s a nitwit.

So what did this guy write that pissed me off?

“I once wanted to become an atheist but I gave up because they only have one holiday and that’s on April Fools Day.
God bless you all!!”

Oh har har hardy, har, har!

Now let me first say that I am not a militant atheist. I simply don’t believe that gods exists. I don’t believe that humans were created by God in God’s image. I do believe that humans created God to be a human-like being with superhuman powers. That said, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and my philosophy on that subject is “whatever floats your boat.”

But, at the risk of appearing to not have a sense of humor, what this guy posted really pissed me off. What is it about atheists that people thinks it’s fair game to denigrate them? Why is it okay, on a public forum, to tell a derogatory joke about atheists but it’s not okay to tell demeaning jokes about Christians or Jews or Muslims or any other religious beliefs?

Some “believers” believe that atheists have no real sense of humor. They claim that atheists are experts at laughing at others but they do not seem capable of laughing at themselves.

Well, when you live in a country that is mostly Christian, where many Christians believe it’s their calling to persuade as many non-Christians as possible that we are wrong and need to be redeemed, one does become offended by being told often enough that if you don’t believe in God, you have no moral compass, that you can’t distinguish between good and evil or right and wrong, and that you’re condemned to eternal damnation unless you’re “saved” by embracing Jesus, you do tend to lose your sense of humor about derogatory atheist jokes.

Okay, that’s it. My rant is done, my vent complete, and my whine is over. And I know what you’re thinking. When my life, as well, is over, I should prepare myself to spend an eternity in hell, right?

Share Your World — Dancing, Sleeping, Finger Snapping, and Dirt Biking

Fandango7 Comments

Share Your WorldToday’s Share Your World prompt from Melanie has asked an eclectic set of questions. Here they are, along with my answers.

What song always gets you out on the dance floor?

Sorry, Melanie, but I’ve reached the age where I’d prefer to just sit back and let the rhythm get me, metaphysically speaking, anyway.

What’s your favorite sleeping position?

I’m a side sleeper. I sleep on my right side with a small pillow between my knees.

If you could snap your fingers and instantly make the world better, what would you do?

I’d snap my fingers. Duh!

What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done, and why did you do it?

It was the time a buddy of mine lent me his dirt bike (motorcycle) to ride in a race along the sand dunes near Rehobeth Beach in Delaware. At one dune jump, I lost control of the motorcycle and it went flying one way and I went flying the other way. I remember it felt like slow motion as I was floating through the air thinking that I was too young to die. Fortunately, I didn’t get hurt, but the my friend’s dirt bike got mangled. I ended up having to pay for getting it fixed.

Another Nomination and Some Q&A

Fandango12 Comments

0F601983-F64D-4B58-8694-6F052E1D2B7FSo Sadje, at Keep It Alive, was nominated for the Real Neat Blog Award, so congratulations, Sadje. She then nominated my blog, along with those of a number of other bloggers, for the award, so thank you Sadje. Then she asked some questions of those she nominated, and here they are, along with my answers.

What do you think is your biggest achievement in life?

I suppose to have managed to get to the point of being able to retire and to be financially set enough that money matters are not a constant, nagging, everyday concern.

What sort of books you like to read?

Suspense, mystery, and detective novels mostly. Some science fiction and horror, although not as much as when I was younger.

Are you a collector?

No, I don’t have any formal collections of anything.

What one activity do you miss most, which you haven’t been able to do due to the lockdown?

As an empty-nester, I’d say it’s not being able to spend much face-to-face time with my adult children.

Are you a people’s person or a happy to be with yourself kind?

These days I’m more of a happy to be by myself kind.

Do you play any games on your phone or computer?

I play solitaire on my iPhone. A lot!

Do you like getting awards on your blog?

Mine is an award-free blog. That said, I do appreciate the recognition when someone nominates my blog for an award and I do enjoy answering questions. But honestly, folks, there are so many blog awards floating around that they lose their significance. Reading, liking, and commenting on my posts is reward enough for me.

Did I mention that another blogger that Sadje nominated for the Real Neat Blog Award was Di, at Pensitivity101? Congrats, Di. Di didn’t actually nominate my blog for that award, but she did pose a series of questions for anyone who would like to answer her set of questions. Since I would like to answer them, here they are.

Do you participate in any challenges, and if so, which do you prefer?

Yes. I try to respond in a single post to up to six daily one-word prompts, including my own, as well as a few weekly photo prompts, some music prompts, and some flash fiction prompts.

If you could start a New Award, what would you call it?

The Oh My God Not Another Freakin’ Blogging Award Award.78EEDC27-ED4C-44CB-9F48-8320A11CC9A2

Do you aim for your blog to attract a single audience or a variety?

I don’t aim for any particular audience. Just those who want to read an excellent blog about this, that, and the other.

When choosing to follow a blogger, what attracts you to their blog?

Well written, articulate post that are interesting, intriguing, and witty. You know, just like my posts. 😉

Do you prefer to read short or long posts, stories, or humor?

I prefer shorter posts, say 500 words or fewer, because of my short attention span. When it blog posts, I believe in word quality over word quantity.

Do you like to use graphics in your own posts?

I generally post a photo or image (mostly one, but sometimes more) with each post.

Have any posts by a fellow blogger had an emotional effect on you?

To one degree or another, they all do. Some are witty, some are poignant, some are inspiring, and some are simply well told tales.

If anyone else wants to take a shot at responding to Sadje’s and/or Di’s questions, go for it.