Archive for the ‘Attempted humor’ Category
Where my summer went (3)
It now looks and feels like autumn in Minnesota, with highs only in the mid-40s (4.5 Centigrade). But before we embrace the fall colors, here’s one last look at the summer of 2018. AUGUST Thanks to haze from the blazes in California, the sunrises take on an eerie red glow. So do the roads, which […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Minnesota, Photography | 58 Comments
Tags: acorns, Minnesota Renaissance Festival, Minnesota State Fair, Minnesota summer
Where my summer went (1)
It snowed in northern Minnesota yesterday — so it seems OK now to kiss the summer of 2018 goodbye. Here are some of my favorite moments from my unintentional summer vacation. MAY Dense fog forms as the dew point rises faster than the temperatures. Gibbs Farm Museum looks like a literal ghost town, shrouded in […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family, Minnesota | 77 Comments
Tags: David, fog, Frontenac, Gibbs Farm Museum, Minnesota summer, morels, Pam, sheep
Nothing says “I love you” like …
I’ve been searching for the perfect Father’s Day gift, and for a brief shining moment today I thought I’d found it in KSBeth’s post. Yes … can you believe it?! A HOT-GLUE GUN FOR CHEESE! Alas, the reviews were less than stellar … Well, it was a good idea. Hot cheese on demand? Heck yes! […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family | 74 Comments
Jessica’s Sunshine Blogger Award
One of my favorite things about WordPress is its community of kind, supportive people. And one of those lovely people is Jessica, whose blog I fell in love with instantly because of this post. She is a superb, deeply perceptive writer and a marvelous photographer. I promise that if you take one virtual stroll with […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family, Minnesota, Writing | 33 Comments
Tags: Jessica Journey, Sunshine Blogger Awards
My blog-pal Anthony has a great memory, because this morning he reminded me of a post I wrote three years ago. With apologies to those for whom this is a rerun, it at least explains why I was more excited about the heat-sensitive eclipse stamps than yesterday’s actual eclipse. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I admit it: I feel […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Psychology, Travel | 69 Comments
Tags: philately, stamp collecting, stamp collection
Cracking open the “funnies” file
On my desktop sits a folder called “funnies.” Some of its contents date back to the earliest days of the internet, so I no longer remember their source. The internet circa 1973. I had a lot fewer bookmarks back then. But no matter: Whenever I’m having a rough day, the “funnies” file always brings a […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Psychology | 60 Comments
Tags: funnies, funny headlines, humor
Fail harder
I read an article a while back about Johannes Haushofer, a professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University who wrote a rather unconventional résumé: rather than tout his accomplishments, instead he listed his failures. “Most of what I try fails, but these failures are often invisible, while the successes are visible,” Haushofer wrote. […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family, Photography, Psychology | 125 Comments
Tags: fail harder, Johannes Haushofer, Liz and James, pet photography, photography fail, Rocky
A lovely Tuesday for a tornado
One of our favorite pastimes in Minnesota is talking about the weather. This isn’t because we’re superficial or boring; rather, it’s because our weather is so darned interesting. Last Tuesday is a perfect example. The day started gloriously, with bright sunshine and blue skies. I wanted to be outside — but since I was already […]
Filed under: Attempted humor | 103 Comments
Tags: Minnesota severe thunderstorm, Minnesota weather, Minnesota wind storm 2016, tornado
In spite of my best intentions I’ve struggled to update my blog lately. There’s much news to share, but little time — so I’ll just give you the big headline: After much soul-searching, Esteban and I have decided to move to Patagonia. Esteban has been fascinated with Patagonia since 1998, when my parents gave him […]
Filed under: Attempted humor | 73 Comments
Tags: April Fools' Day, mime, Patagonia, penguin wool
Where do you turn for photographic inspiration? Flickr, perhaps? Or Instagram? Not me — not anymore. I turn to online auctions and classified ads. I’ve gained a bit of weight recently, for reasons I don’t understand. So in spite of some unfortunate past purchases … … I’ve been shopping for cheap-yet-more-or-less-presentable Pants In A Bigger […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Photography, Psychology | 28 Comments
Tags: online ads, online classifieds, Web photography
Fitbitten
I usually struggle when my parents ask what I want for Christmas. I truly don’t need anything — and increasingly I don’t want anything, either. But last year was different. “I’d love a Fitbit,” I wrote my mom, “just the basic one, please, in a size small.” This represented a big reversal for someone who […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Psychology | 21 Comments
Tags: Fitbit, Fitbit Blue Suede Shoes, Paris
A detour through Haiku City
This little snippet of “poetry” made me laugh out loud when I saw it in George Takei’s Facebook feed. I haven’t been able to pinpoint the original author, but RESPECT. Fontplay by yours truly; Image via artswallpapers.net.
Filed under: Attempted humor | 1 Comment
Tags: funny haiku, funny poetry, George Takei meme, Haiku City
(Fool)hardy Minnesotans
Last weekend I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to have a walk around Como Lake in St. Paul. One of the ways you can determine the temperature in wintry Minnesota — apart from timing how long it takes your extremities to freeze solid — is to listen to the snow. Really! When it’s […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Photography | 31 Comments
Tags: Como Lake, frozen lake, hardy Minnesotans, how to survive Minnesota winter, Minnesota winter, thin ice
Et maintenant, on est Nico …
On Sunday, an estimated 1.3 million people marched in Paris — the largest gathering since the city’s liberation from the Nazis — to show their solidarity and support for free speech. Some 40 heads of state led the march, and La Marseillaise echoed through the narrow streets once again. All very historic stuff. But the […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, On this day in history | 12 Comments
Tags: #JeSuisNico, Elvis and Bigfoot riding Loch Ness Monster, Je Suis Nico, Nicolas Sarkozy meme, Paris march 2015, Photoshop
Birth of a new major religion?
According to Google, we have a fourth major religion! It doesn’t offer any festive holidays, but at least it’s easy to convert: Simply click “save as,” and then choose “PDF.” Happy holidays, friends.
Filed under: Attempted humor, Technology | 12 Comments
Tags: how do i convert to PDF
I admit it: I feel a bit nerdy confessing I collect stamps. I’m not sure how it all started, but I think it’s my father’s fault. He used to travel a lot for work, so he had friends all over the planet. And occasionally these friends would send us a letter, like this one: Within […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Psychology, Travel | 476 Comments
Tags: British stamps, Freiburg, Germany stamps, philately, stamp collecting, stamp collection
While I was out walking early one morning, I had a thought: “What if I keel over, or get chased by wild dogs, or am hit by a car?” (Because I think about these kinds of things during my morning walks.) “Perked up African dogs” courtesy of the World Wildlife Federation “Even if someone found […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, How to ..., Technology | 5 Comments
Tags: chased by wild dogs, how to create iPhone home screen, ICE screen for iPhone, in case of emergency, wild African dogs
Nicolas Cage drowns hundreds
At a recent happy hour, one of my co-workers ordered a glass of wine “because wine makes you skinny.” Curious, I asked her to explain. “I read that people who drink wine have smaller waists than people who drink beer or who don’t drink at all,” she said. I don’t doubt for a second that […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Psychology | 3 Comments
Although I’m increasingly disenchanted with social media, occasionally I still get to see one of my friends’ posts. This one caught my eye today: Curious about the source of all this priceless advice, I Googled “How to feel miserable as an artist.” *PING*! Up popped illustrator Keri Smith’s wise and wonderful website. Clearly, she’s done […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, How to ..., On being creative, Psychology, Writing | 6 Comments
Tags: create your own damn award, creativity, how to feel miserable as an artist, Keri Smith blog, Keri Smith illustrator, writer's block
Quickly, off the top of your head: What’s the most powerful punctuation mark in the English language? If you chose the exclamation mark, you have a bright future in (bad)vertising. I learned this from my creative director: “If you’ve written something well enough, you don’t need exclamation points.” And also, “They’re the equivalent of shouting.” […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Grammar and usage, Writing | 12 Comments
Tags: comma usage, commas save lives, grammar and usage, let's eat grandma, run-on-sentences, writing tips
