Jeff's Pad

S is for Strange

Jeff — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 04:41:28 +0000

She knew him as Robert S. McNamara. She didn’t know his middle name. And when preparing invitations to their wedding, Margaret Craig called McNamara to find out what it was. “It’s Strange,” said Robert. ‘I know it is, but what is it?’ she asked again. ‘That’s it,’ he said. ‘It’s Strange. It’s Robert Strange McNamara.’ This is one story [...]

Look to the Lyric

Jeff — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:27:46 +0000

Almost 15 years ago to this day on the sitcom Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld implored his friend Elaine in ‘The Dinner Party’ episode to “look to the cookie.” I guess Jerry was suggesting getting along had something to do with getting together. The conversation went something like this: JERRY: Ummm, The thing about eating the Black and White [...]

In my shower

Jeff — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:11:34 +0000

There are exactly 13 items in my shower. Each one of them has a story, and though I have tried to think of someone other than myself to tell the stories, I have concluded that I am best suited for this epic duty. In no particular order, here is the cast of characters: 1. bar [...]

funny things heard

Jeff — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:14:09 +0000

Here are just a few things I have heard recently that were humorous to me. Perhaps you will enjoy one or two as well. 1. This first one comes from a college football television sports announcer: ‘you know, offensive players love going into halftime with a lead.’ Really? You don’t say? They like to have [...]

Big Three Bailout is a waste

Jeff — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:51:05 +0000

The column below is from Thomas Friedman of the New York Times. Friedman is the author of “The World is Flat” and “Hot, Flat and Crowded.” Op-Ed Columnist How to Fix a Flat By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Last September, I was in a hotel room watching CNBC early one morning. They were interviewing Bob Nardelli, the C.E.O. of [...]

Wine, women and the royal road to the unconscious

Jeff — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:50:54 +0000

I think the path to salvation for mankind is connected to our ability to tap into our unconscious. The final frontier is the human mind- not the sub-atomic world, and not space ‘out there’ extending for millions of light-years. From where I sit, the path looks pretty long. By the unconscious, I mean that (keep in [...]

Circling the drain

Jeff — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:29:01 +0000

Today’s post is a nod to George Carlin, the brilliant recently-deceased comedian. Two days ago in New York state (black Friday, November 28, 2008) a Walmart employee was killed when a mob crashed through the doors of the Long Island store in a rush to start that days holiday shopping. Here is a partial account of the [...]

Open this

Jeff — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:40:12 +0000

Does packaging ever frustrate you? It seems like it could be done better. So many items are, well, nearly out of reach. Or at least beyond easy accessibility. Or just poorly executed. I consider myself a fairly strong guy. I have big hands, and I can tell you that I sometimes [...]

Pugnacity Prevails

Jeff — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:20:17 +0000

I think the single-most threatening thing to our democracy is increasing irascibility and incivility in our public discourse. The talk radio nabobs spread this coarseness daily, and inquiring minds who want to know- but can’t quite think on their own- repeat the nonsense. Half-truths, rumors, out-of-context stories and plain old piffle gets tossed around as fact. Thoughtful debate [...]

Five things for less than a buck

Jeff — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:52:33 +0000

They aren’t really things, just ideas. And they cost nothing. Perhaps that’s what they are worth. Anyway, here goes: 1. It was interesting to listen to international reaction to the election of Barack Obama. One thing of note was hearing South African cleric Desmond Tutu’s statement that he thought it was [...]