Archive for the ‘Weird news’ Category
I bought it on eBay
It would be hard to estimate how much money I’ve wasted on eBay. Most of my mistakes have been minor, thank goodness. Others—a Coach purse, some Timberland boots, and a handful of cameras—I’ve been able to resell. But a couple of my eBay purchases have been so hideous that the only appropriate response was to […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family, Psychology, Weird news | 9 Comments
Tags: attempted humor, eBay, humor, I bought it on eBay, postaday2011, Speedo, unintentional humor, Weird Al Yankovic
The Farkin’ news, on Facebook
When I (grudgingly) joined Facebook last year, one of the things that most surprised me was how much news my friends posted. Actual news news! But—as interesting as the articles have been—they’ve consistently paled in comparison to my friends’ witty commentaries. “I wonder how he’ll stay hydrated,” wrote one journalist buddy of the headline Harry […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Psychology, Weird news, Writing | Leave a Comment
Tags: alcoholism, Daniel Radcliffe, Facebook, Fark, Harry Potter star no longer drinks, journalism, postaday2011, Psychology, writing
Just fling me over the fence
My first byline was an obituary. It was 1997 and I was working on the City Desk at the local paper. “We’re short an obit writer today,” the editor said. “Want to fill in?” I no longer remember the name of the deceased. But I do remember having to write a correction for the following […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family, Paris, Psychology, Random thoughts, Weird news | 15 Comments
Tags: attempted humor, cause of death, death by saguaro, death notices, editing, how we die, Johnny Depp, journalism, obituary, obituary writing, postaday2011, Psychology, Utne Reader, writing
I feel terrible. If only I’d seen Thessa’s Facebook invitation—and if only I’d been in Hamburg—I’d gladly have stopped by to help her celebrate her birthday. Sing with me, everyone: Hoch soll sie leben! Oh, well … she probably didn’t miss me. Because 15,000 other people said they were coming, and 1,500 actually showed up. […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family, On this day in history, Psychology, Weird news | Leave a Comment
Tags: 16th birthday party, Facebook, Hamburg, postaday2011, privacy settings blunder, Thessa birthday party
Is it a beard—or is it art?
To my faithful subscribers: I’ve been pretty disciplined about starting a post every day, but I haven’t always finished my drafts. Please forgive a few extra entries as I go back in time to wrap up some loose ends. I know only a couple of men who sport facial hair. And of these, my favorite […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Psychology, Travel, Weird news | 2 Comments
Tags: humor, Photography, postaday2011, Psychology, World Beard and Moustache Championship
Of baseball and hobbits
My friend Tom (aka., “The Blogfodder”) sent me a wonderful post from Deadspin last night: The New York Times Pushes Up Its Glasses, Issues Nerdiest Correction Ever “An item in the Extra Bases baseball notebook last Sunday misidentified, in some editions, the origin of the name Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver, which Mets pitcher R. A. Dickey […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family, Psychology, Weird news, Writing | 4 Comments
Tags: Bilbo Baggins, Frodo, New York Mets, New York Times, postaday2011, R. A. Dickey, The Hobbit
I’ve been waiting for years to use Schadenfreude in print, and finally I’ve found the perfect occasion: the Found Footage Festival. (In a nutshell … Two guys scour garage sales and second-hand stores for discarded VHS tapes, and then edit their finds together into an annual feature-length film.) My friend Laurice discovered the FFF last […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Friends and family, Psychology, Weird news | 2 Comments
Tags: Found Footage Festival, postaday2011
It’s been a long day and I have nothing left, so I hope my three readers will forgive a bit of news aggregation instead of my usual rambling examination of life. There’s a ton going on in the news, of course: New Zealand is dealing with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and a Dutch […]
Filed under: Attempted humor, Psychology, Weird news | 7 Comments
Tags: Charlie Sheen, humor, postaday2011
Yesterday I heard about a woman who fell into a shopping mall fountain because she was text-messaging (“texting”) while walking. Today I heard that she has hired a lawyer, and plans to sue. Among her allegations: She feels humiliated. Hmmm. The video didn’t identify her by name. But now she’s (very publicly) taking legal action. […]
Filed under: Ethics, Psychology, Random thoughts, Technology, Weird news | Leave a Comment
Tags: personal responsibility, postaday2011, texting, woman falls into fountain, woman suing mall
