Wednesday, March 2, 2022

 

Blog #260                                          March 3, 2022

 

As you probably know by now, I have a defibrillator-pacemaker which, in addition to dispensing an electric shock that could fry chicken, has an internal warning signal that, if something should be amiss with my heart, sounds like a Nazi police siren emanating from my chest.   It is my medical opinion that a loud siren noise unexpectedly bursting from your chest would give most people a heart attack, but what do I know?  They test mine every once in a while in the doctor’s office, and, believe me, it is very spooky to hear that Gestapo sound coming from your own chest.  I would rather have music; even Nazi music would be better.  

 

Oh no.  I knew this was coming! Now he is going to come up with some stupid, juvenile list of Nazi songs that he made up.  It’s bad enough we have to read his dumb limericks, now we have to suffer through this stupid thing.  Exactly!  Get over it.  Here they are – Nazi songs!

 

Well It’s Bad, Bad Eva Braun -- We’re So Sorry, Uncle Adolph -- Hitler With Your Best Shot, and yes, I have a favorite: Come On Baby Light My Fuhrer.

 

I had lunch with a friend yesterday.  Naturally I got there early and, as I patiently sat, reading my book and sipping a glass of water, a lady (my age I suppose) came in and sat at a nearby table.  She told the waiter, “I’m waiting for one more -- short, balding, glasses.”  Is that how we talk about our loved ones when they’re not around, with some trio of defining characteristics?  Is that how Carol would describe me to a waiter – gray hair, carrying a book, Nazi siren coming from his chest.  When I describe her, it’s always in glorious and adoring superlatives – I’m waiting for a beautiful, dark-haired woman.  I would never say, “I’m waiting for one more – small, walks fast, won’t like the table.”  Anyway, when this lady’s husband came in, I knew him immediately from his wife’s description.  He was short and nondescript and lost and generally husband-looking.  I almost waved to point him to his wife’s table.  But he found her.  We always do.

 

Message from Shakespeare:  Give them great meals of beef and iron and steel, they will eat like wolves and fight like devils (Henry V).  I know how Pops would describe me to a waitress: “I’m waiting for one more – furry, three legs, purrs.  And extremely handsome.”  Meow.

 

Hi there and welcome back.  I hope you’re feeling well and staying warm?  I presume that each of you, upon noticing that this is Blog #260, removed your slide rule and calculated that 260 = 52 x 5, concluding that this must be the Fifth Anniversary of Limerick Oyster.  Yay!  Happy Anniversary!  Balloons!  Little party hats!  You were wrong of course.  The first issue Of Lim. Oyster was published on March 16, 2017.  Not March 3rd.  “But,” I hear you cry, “where did those extra 13 days come from?”  Well, 52 weeks is only 364 days, not 365, so there is an extra day in each of those five years plus an additional day because 2020 was a Leap Year, which makes six days, plus an extra seven days because Blog #2 was only one week later that #1, not two weeks.  And that is why, Friends and Neighbors, everyone hates math!

 

Most people who are bad at math are either divorced and hate their X or depressed and can’t figure out Y.  Just relax, take a deep breath and do your WORDLE.  Feel better now?  I promise there will be no more math today.   Two hundred sixty is, however, an impressive number.  Did you realize that if you lined up all 260 limericks end to end -- you’d be bored for quite some time?

 

We spend a lot of time watching the news about Ukraine.  It is stunningly depressing to think that six weeks ago, all these families we see leaving the country were living a normal life, trying to make money, trying to be good at what they do, planning for the future – then boom!  It’s all gone.  They’re refugees.  No home, no money, no possessions, fleeing the only country they’ve ever known for some strange place, any strange place where their children don’t have to sleep in a bomb shelter.  It’s horrible, and I’d like to give you an uplifting and optimistic quote, so I found this one attributed to Martin Luther, the 16th Century German reformist (not Martin Luther King): “If I knew the world were to end tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree.”  Let’s all pray for Ukraine and for peace.

 

While watching the news, I saw commercials for Cosentyx, Breztri, Preservision, Cologuard, Ozempic, Prevagen and Jublia, and I cannot decide which will come first:  Putin’s conquest of Ukraine or the drug companies having all the money in the world.  All the drug ads have perfectly healthy people running around the park sniffing flowers and playing with children in a perfidious attempt to distract you from hearing that the side effects could kill a herd of elephants.

 

I don’t remember all kinds of drugs being advertised when I was growing up.  There was Bayer Aspirin and Alka-Seltzer (Plop Plop Fizz Fizz) and Serutan (Natures spelled backwards).  Then, in 1998, there was Viagra, the little blue pill for old men whose snake wasn’t working.  Snake?  Well, of course!  Isn’t that why they call it Reptile Dysfunction?

 

We start out with youthful virility

Then age comes to teach us humility

But now we can shout

Viagra’s come out

And put back the “sin” in senility.

 

The Weekly Word is perfidious, which means deceitful and untrustworthy, like Vladimir Putin.

 

This past Tuesday was Fat Tuesday which, when translated into French, becomes Mardi Gras.  The Catholics have all these interesting names for their days:  Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday.  I think we old people should have a Senior Weekend celebration and name each of the days:  Forgetful Friday, Slow-Driving Saturday and Senile Sunday.  I’ll be there – if I remember.  And you’d better remember to be back here next week for more of whatever this is.  Until then, stay well and count your blessings.  Then pray for Ukraine and count your blessings again.  And plant that apple tree.

 

Michael                                             Send comments to mfox1746@gmail.com

 

 

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