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Birthday Blooper

Fandango22 Comments

Earlier today, I published this post, in which my first line was, “It’s my birthday,” and which featured this image:DC797B5A-1254-480B-BA4D-7E4FFF078933I want to thank all of you who wished me a happy birthday today. However, the truth is, today was not my birthday. My post was written in response to Sammi Cox’s Weekend Writing Prompt for the word “liminal.” I wrote it in the first person, tagged it as Flash Fiction, and wrote in the “fine print” at the end of the post, “For the record, it’s not my birthday and I transitioned from childhood to adulthood decades ago.”

Still, a number of you must have thought it was, indeed, my birthday, and proceeded to wish me a happy birthday. I really do appreciate all of your kind wishes and I’m sorry if my post misled you.

I’m So Confused — 3-2-1 Quote Me!

Fandango3 Comments

719FF11B-E56A-4B4E-AC3A-4878BBBB81AARory has another round of his 3-2-1 Quote Me! prompt, and this time the topic is “confusion.” And then Sadje tagged me to play along.

The 3-2-1 Quote Me! rules are:

  • Thank the person who tagged you — thank you, Sadje.
  • Post two quotes for the dedicated Topic of the Day: Confusion.
  • Select three bloggers to take part in ‘3-2-1 Quote Me!’

Alrighty then, let’s do this. First the two quotes.

This first quote is unattributed.B7889397-BCB6-4E4B-A1D2-9CDA5994B4A2 This next quote is from American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor, William Castle.A4AA7DB9-AC41-408A-99E7-EE6E60CF685B I’m never good at tagging, so I’m just going to tag anyone who wants to play along.

Advice From Nextdoor

Fandango28 Comments

EEAB8B7D-DED0-4689-B117-5513D26B24CEI have this app on my iPhone called “Nextdoor.” According to its website, “Nextdoor is the best way to stay informed about what’s going on in your neighborhood — whether it’s finding a last-minute babysitter, planning a local event, or sharing safety tips. There are so many ways our neighbors can help us, we just need an easier way to connect with them.”

I’ve actually found out some interesting and useful things on the Nextdoor app. Like temporary road closures, new local restaurants opening up or old ones closing, crime reports, and some suggestions for who to call for what services.

But I have to admit that what I saw on Nextdoor the other day had to be the weirdest, possibly the sickest piece of advice I’ve ever seen. I swear this was actually posted on on the Nextdoor app. But to be honest, I don’t know if this posting was a legitimate one or a prank. I’m hoping it was a prank, but these days, you can never be sure.

Are you ready?CE018E16-9390-4744-BC71-6A767FE09664Okay, speaking about pets, and to lighten things up, since the above post, if you’re a pet owner, might freak you out, I also saw this picture posted on Nextdoor.AB904335-3644-4A81-B843-44A362E02CE2

Padiddle!

Fandango9 Comments

100FC382-878C-4FBD-876C-64840342A500You know what a padiddle is, don’t you? It’s a game, actually. We all used to play it from our late teens probably into and maybe even through our twenties.

Padiddle is a term that refers to a car with only one working headlight, as is the case in the photo above of an old VW Beetle. The way the padiddle game worked was that if you were out for a drive with your girlfriend and you saw a car with only one working headlight, the first one of you to shout out “Padiddle!” was the winner. If the guy was the first to shout the word, he got to kiss the girl. If the girl said it first, she could either slap or kiss the guy.

The game was a played a little differently if your driving companion happened to be another guy. In that case, the first one to shout “Padiddle!” got to punch the other guy in the upper arm. Fun, huh?

Anyway, I thought about padiddle the other night when I was walking my dog. I noticed that I hardly ever see cars at night with only one working headlight and I wondered why. And then the answer came to me: sealed beam headlights.4F4BC02F-DEDA-44A6-8E77-2506D29A9CE4These days, nearly all cars have composite headlight assemblies, uniquely designed for each specific make and model car. If a light within the assembly burns out, which is relatively rare, you simply replace just the bulb.

But back in the day, all U.S. cars were required by law to use “sealed beam headlights,” and they were pretty much standardized in size (i.e., not vehicle specific). The headlight consisted of an enclosure with a bulb in front of a lens, completely made of glass. The entire unit is sealed (hence the name) and none of the parts can be replaced separately. If the headlight stopped functioning or broke, you’d have to replace the entire sealed beam light.

These sealed beam headlight bulbs used to burn out every few years. Hence, there were more cars on the road with only one working headlight. Which meant a lot more opportunities for the padiddle game and a legitimate excuse to kiss your sweetie (or to arm-punch your buddy.)

But then in the mid 80s, U.S. laws changed to allow composite headlight assemblies with replaceable bulbs for the first time. And these bulbs were brighter and lasted a lot longer than those sealed beam headlights.

When was the last time you saw a padiddle? In fact, when was the last time you saw a car (other than at old time car shows or fairs) with sealed beam headlights?

For what it’s worth, I came across this picture of a ‘56 Chevy Bel Air on Pinterest. Notice its sealed beam headlights. Sexy, right?872B120F-6CD9-410D-8D55-32B5BEB8D4DB