Bathroom Signs VII

Outhouse on Tiverton Farm, corner of Plank Road and 250 West in Albemarle, Co

Pictures from the Bathroom of the Medallion Suite at the Villas (formerly the Versace Mansion in Miami Beach, FL)

Sign for the Medallion Suite at the Villas

Bathroom door

Bathroom murals ove the toilet and bidet

Reflection of the picture across from the sink

Bathroom signs at the Matchbox Restaurant at The Shops at Stonefield Shops in Charlottesville, VA

Bathroom Signs, Naked Mountain Winery in Markham, Virginia

Poem 3–Today is Tweed Day

 

Why is it Tweed Day?

I’m still at a loss.

Was it a fabric

Or merely a boss?

The British wear  Tweed

Professors do too

With suede elbow patches

So their arms don’t poke through.

Poem 2–Someone Didn’t Get the Word

There is always that someone

It seems quite absurd

That just can not manage

To get the word

Why doe he linger

And act so slow

Didn’t  he realize

It’s past time to go.

So why did he linger so long and tarry

The last hanger-on,  the red holly berry?

 

 

Corona Virus Light–2

PAULINE

The brighter, lighter side of social distancing….

The rebel fish

Went for a short walk yesterday during the lockdown.
We’re allowed a walk.
Heard this shouting from a couple of streets over.
People are even more annoying than usual, I find…
Theres a six feet exclusion zone now.
Great. Now I have to let people get closer to me than ever.
It’s usually 15 or 20 feet.’Pauline’ he shouted. Again. Again.
Is it his dogs name? Who calls their dog Pauline?. 
Paulie?  Mollie?
Has he lost his young daughter?
The noise seemed to be getting further away, says my wife.
That’s because we’re walking, I said.
He didn’t stop.
We took a turn,up a hill. Suddenly out of an alley a young man sprang out.
Looked like he climbed out of a chimney 100 years ago.
‘PAULINE’
We stopped walking,feeling threatened, our exclusion zone was down to 20 feet..
He stopped and stared straight at us.
‘Have you seen a…

View original post 54 more words

Reblog: Redefined Words by Changing a Letter

 The Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational once again invited readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding,  subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are the winners:
> 1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
>
> 2. Ignoranus: A person who’s both stupid and an asshole.
>
> 3. Intaxicaton: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
>
> 4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
>
> 5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
>
> 6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
>
> 7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high
>
> 8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.
>
> 9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
>
> 10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease.
>
> 11. Karmageddon: It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.
>
> 12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
>
> 13. Glibido: All talk and no action.
>
> 14 Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
>
> 15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.
>
> 16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
>
> 17. Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you’re eating.

The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.

And the winners are:

> 1. Coffee, n. The person upon whom one coughs.
>
> 2. Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.
>
> 3. Abdicate, v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
>
> 4. esplanade, v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.
>
> 5. Willy-nilly, adj. Impotent.
>
> 6. Negligent, adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only     a nightgown.
>
> 7. Lymph, v. To walk with a lisp.
>
> 8. Gargoyle, n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.
>
> 9. Flatulence, n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.
>
> 10. Balderdash, n. A rapidly receding hairline.
>
> 11. Testicle, n. A humorous question on an exam.
>
> 12. Rectitude, n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by Proctologists.
>
> 13. Pokemon, n. A Rastafarian proctologist.
>
> 14. Oyster, n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
>
> 15 Frisbeetarianism, n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
>
> 16. Circumvent, n. An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men

Musings during the Coronavirus

Have you ever met somebody who exceeds your expectations, no matter how low you keep moving the bar?

Can you get PTSD from self-isolation during the Coronavirus?

For a respiratory virus, why is there a run on toilet paper?

At the local Krogers, why are they also rationing adult incontinence products and feminine hygiene supplies ? Now lack of those things does cause a run…

With all of this self quarantining, will we have a population explosion in nine months?

The babies born in 9 months will be called Coronials…and then in 13 years they’ll change the names to Quaranteenagers.

With most professional, collegiate, and high school sports canceled, the local sportscasters are reduced to talking about high school stars that have signed to play for UVA and the professional prospects for past collegiate stars.

Change, these days seems constant.

Social Distancing–Spread the word, not the virus.

Whether dealing with the virus or politicians:  The situation “brings to mind the words, borrowed from Oliver Cromwell, that British Conservative backbencher Leo Amery used in 1940 to bring down Neville Chamberlain, a prime minister of his own party: “You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go.”

Does grab and go refer to the toilet paper aisle or restaurants that can only offer take out?

Are all of those ads for free delivery of online food or goods,  a case of viral marketing?

In the future will BC stand for Before Coronavirus if we are going to be reshaped as dramatically as some pundits are predicting?

Corona Virus Humor

Replacing the original copy and paste job with the individual pictures in hopes that it displays a bit more consistently–Pat

 

Reblog: 20 Slang Terms from World War I

Are you a Downton Abbey Fan?  If so, do you remember Thomas Barrow, the conniving under butler, who went to the Western Front as a medic?  He held a match up in his hand so that it would be shot at by a German sharpshooter.   The subsequent wound proved to be a ‘blighty”  that earned him a return to Downton Abbey after it became a convalescent hospital.

For the meaning of blighty and 19 other slang terms from WWI, click here.

 

Dreams vs. Reality

Does anyone remember Father Ted and his fellow cleric Father Dougal?

Father Dougal had trouble differentiating between what was real and what was a dream so Father Ted drew a simple picture to help him remember.

Is your coronavirus information based upon science or a hunch?

 

Where is Father Ted when we need him now?

The Old Gray Mare Ain’t What She Used to Be

Is she  no longer the old gray mare

Because she’s begun to color her hair?

Is she not  what she used to be

Because she’s decided she wants to be free?

Are the many long years’ signs of the past

That she decided to outgrow at last?

She’s kicked up her heels and decided to live

 To enjoy the pleasures that life has to give.

 

Action-Distraction-Inaction-Reaction

 

 

 

The attraction
Of distraction
Is the contraction
In the reaction
To getting things done.

No chum–You Chump!

You claim you’re my chum, my bud, my friend.  On the surface that may be true, but the reality is more chum (seafood bait).  I feel like your chump, not your chum.

As long as I show up when it’s convenient for you, bearing wine and things to eat, you are happy to see me.  You control the discussion–it’s often about you unless you graciously decide to let me borrow the spotlight for a moment.

I always travel to see you–you can’t be bothered to travel, even if somebody else is doing the driving.

You probably do not see this as a one-way street because you are older, alone, have suffered in ways the rest of us could not possibly understand.  That dog don’t hunt any longer.

You need to put a little effort into this friendship if you want it to survive.  I’m tired of being your chump, rather than your chum.  No my way or the high way but a bi-way would be appreciated.  It should be give and take, not just take.

Do you have friends like this?

Word Questions…

Say What?

From a chain email:

1 If poison expires, is it more poisonous or is it no longer poisonous?

2 Which letter is silent in the word “Scent,” the S or the C?

3 Do twins ever realize that one of them is unplanned?

4 Why is the letter W, in English, called double U? Shouldn’t it be called double V?

5 Maybe oxygen is slowly killing you and It just takes 75-100 years to fully work.

6 Every time you clean something, you just make something else dirty.

7 The word “swims” upside-down is still “swims”

8 100 years ago everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars.
Today everyone has cars and only the rich own horses.

Six great confusions still unresolved.

1 At a movie theatre, which arm rest is yours?

2 If people evolve from monkeys, why are monkeys still around?

3 Why is there a ‘D’ in fridge, but not in refrigerator?

4  Who knew what time it was when the first clock was made?

Vagaries of English Language!

Ever wonder why the word funeral starts with FUN?

Why isn’t a Fireman called a Water-man?

How come Lipstick doesn’t do what it says?

If money doesn’t grow on trees, how come Banks have Branches?

If a Vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a Humanitarian eat?

How do you get off a non-stop Flight?

Why are goods sent by ship called CARGO and those sent by truck SHIPMENT?

Why do we put cups in the dishwasher and the dishes in the Cupboard?

Why do doctors ‘practice’ medicine? Are they having practice at the cost of the patients?

Why is it called ‘Rush Hour’ when traffic moves at its slowest then?

How come Noses run and Feet smell?

Why do they call it a TV ‘set’ when there is only one?

What are you vacating when you go on a vacation?

Did you know that if you replace “W” with “T” in “What, Where and When”, you get the answer to each of them.

Reblog: Merriam-Webster’s January 2020 Words of the Day Quiz

I did very well on this quiz and answered all of the questions correctly.  I did not answer them quickly to get top marks.

See how well you do on the quiz.

Days to Celebrate in February

The Roman month Februarius was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman calendar. January and February were the last two months to be added to the Roman calendar since the Romans originally considered winter a monthless period. They were added by Numa Pompilius about 713 BC. February remained the last month of the calendar year until the time of the decemvirs (c. 450 BC) when it became the second month. At certain times February was truncated to 23 or 24 days, and a 27-day intercalary month, Intercalaris, was occasionally inserted immediately after February to realign the year with the seasons.

February is American Heart Month.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease.

How can American Heart Month make a difference?

We can use this month to raise awareness about heart disease and how people can prevent it — both at home and in the community.

Here are just a few ideas:

1. Encourage families to make small changes, like using spices to season their food instead of salt.2.
2. Motivate teachers and administrators to make physical activity a part of the school day. This can help students start good habits early.
3. Ask doctors and nurses to be leaders in their communities by speaking out about ways to prevent heart disease.

February is also African-American History Month.

As a Harvard-trained historian, Carter G. Woodson, like W. E. B. Du Bois before him believed that truth could not be denied and that reason would prevail over prejudice. His hopes to raise awareness of African American’s contributions to civilization was realized when he and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The response was overwhelming: Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort.

By the time of Woodson’s death in 1950, Negro History Week had become a central part of African American life and substantial progress had been made in bringing more Americans to appreciate the celebration. At mid-century, mayors of cities nationwide issued proclamations noting Negro History Week. The Black Awakening of the 1960s dramatically expanded the consciousness of African Americans about the importance of black history, and the Civil Rights movement focused Americans of all color on the subject of the contributions of African Americans to our history and culture.

The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Ground Hog Day is celebrated on February 2.  It is also called Candlemas or Imbolc.
Ground Hogs are also known as whistle pigs or woodchucks.

February 12 is Abraham Lincoln’s 211th birthday. Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and president during the American Civil War. He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, dying the following day on April 15.

Valentine’s Day is February 14. It began as a bloody pagan festival.

During the festival of Lupercalia, Roman priests would sacrifice goats and dogs and use their blood-soaked hides to slap women on the streets, as a fertility blessing. According to legend, women would later put their names in an urn and be selected to be paired with a man for a year.

For more Valentine’s Day Facts, click here

.

Although Washington’s birthday is actually February 22, we celebrate President’s Day on the third Monday in February. In 2020 that is February 17. The history of President’s Day 2020 dates back to the year 1800, following the death of President George Washington in 1799. His birthday on February 22 became a significant day of remembrance. At the time, Washington was recognized as the most important figure in American history.

February 18 is National Drink Wine Day.

 

The purpose of National Drink Wine Day is to spread the love and health benefits of wine.  Wine has played an important role in history, religion and relationships.  We embrace the positive benefits of wine such as new friends, reduced risk of heart disease and the enhancement of food and life.

Now that I can drink to! What type of wine do you like best?

February 29 is Leap Day.  It occurs once every four years.  If it’s  Leap Year, then Americans elect their president and the Summer Olympics are held.  It is also known as St Oswald’s Day, named after the archbishop of York who died on February 29, 992. His memorial is celebrated on February 29 during leap years and on February 28 during common years.

Leap Day, on February 29, has been a day of traditions, folklore and superstitions ever since Leap Years were first introduced by Julius Caesar over 2000 years ago.

Bathroom Signs VI

Bathroom Signs from the Big Sur Restaurant at the Ventana Inn in Big Sur, CA

Graffiti inside one of the stall doors of the Ladies Room, Mission Ranch Restaurant, Carmel, CA

Phoenix Shop at Nepenthe in Big Sur, CA

The picture inside the bathroom at Chestnut Oaks Winery in Barboursville, VA

From Chicken Salad Chick restaurant in Greensboro, NC Courtesy of my friend Wendy Hill who was attending US Figure Skating Championship

Musings

Say What?

Has the bully pulpit become more bully than pulpit?

What is it about a subpoena that frightens the memory away?  Do they drink the fifth before they plead it?

Is Santa Claus a toy sleigher?

A woman says something.  One to three minutes later it percolates through a man’s brain and he utters the same words as an original  thought.  The other men in the group hail it as significant.  Why?

You hear something on the news that you agree with–Benghazi attack, withholding funds for Ukraine to mention two from the recent past.  You say you are not a conspiracy theorist type of person–is it because you agree with whichever side is being discussed? Do you think that the other side is actually part of a conspiracy theory?

“I may not know where I’m at but I know where I’m going.”  From an old woman confused about Charlotte, NC, and Charlottesville, VA.

A mother was having a discussion with her teenage daughter and had to eat a bite of her daughter’s bagel before saying anything. ” You don’t like nothing that they serve?

If you’re drifting, someone else is doing the thinking.  Congresswoman Love

Trump is a British slang word for fart. It is derived from the noun ‘trump’ which is a blast from a trumpet.
 

Happy Chinese New Year–Year of the Rat

Year of the Rat

The Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first.

The Rat is also associated with the Earthly Branch (地支—dì zhī) Zi (子) and the midnight hours. In the terms of yin and yang (阴阳—yīn yáng), the Rat is yang and represents the beginning of a new day.

In Chinese culture, rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children.

What type of rat are you?

• Gym Rat
• Technoc-rat
• Bureauc-rat
• Artistoc-rat
• musk-rat
• autoc-rat

Chinese New Year is also known as Lunar New Year and Tet.

From Being the Goat to Being the G.O.A.T

Charlie Brown may not have been the original goat, but he came to personify it.

This type of Goat has even made it into Survivor lexicology.

During every season of Survivor, there will come the point when players and fans begin discussing which of the remaining players are “goats.” The goat refers to a player with a highly unlikely chance of winning; whom if taken to the Final Tribal Council should be easily beatable due to the way they played the game or treated the members of the jury. It has become such a repeated term that it is now cemented in the lexicon of Survivor;

How did Goat become G.O.A.T.?

According to GOAT| Know Your Meme:
G.O.A.T, is an acronym for the expression “greatest of all time,” which is commonly used in sports when referring to players who are widely considered the most talented. Online, It is often used on sites like reddit and 4chan when referring to someone who is believed to be the best at a certain skill.

On September 12th, 2000, rapper LL Cool J released his eighth studio album G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). The album was a commercial success, reaching the number one position on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.^[1]

Ken Jenning is Jeopardy’s GOAT.