Saturday, August 31, 2013

Self Scan Elf Can


Letter:  Chester Elf to Claus, Mr.

I bid you good day, Santa.  It’s been but too long since you've ventured south and in the world yourself.  It was good of you to send me ahead and I thank you greatly for the opportunity to thusly scout opportunities on your behalf.   It seems that I’m in bit of a quandary at the moment as I've discovered a wonderful new product, in name it is referenced as The Elf Can.  It is but too unique to describe in words and as such I shan't attempt it.  In my eagerness to try some new inventions I see about me, I have attempted to use and odd method of cashier called “Self Scan.”

The manner of its behaviour is not as expected as I placed the “Elf Can” upon it and nothing happened.  I’m not terribly certain to what the “Self” refers as the Elf Can doth not “self-scan.”  I see no eyes upon it, nor do they appear at the “Self Scan” device.  Further, there be no eyes upon the Self scan device and I fail to comprehend the purpose of a machine that would merely self-scan when it is the aid of a cashier for which I have need. 

It would seem that letters of credit are also no longer accepted, for I approached an oddly uniformed woman who explained that there are but three companies for whom they accept letters of credit in the form of little plastic (she called it plastic) pieces.  These companies are Master Card, Visa, and American Express.  As for the second, I was quite unaware that the border services were in issue of letters of credit, but indeed it has been a long time since my last travel southward.  Unfortunately, I seem to be at a loss for a proper means of communication and thusly I have attached this note via your faithful reindeer Dasher in the hope that it will reach you promptly and he not find a cool meadow of alfalfa upon which to graze an thus lose precious time.  I do wish there were a more convenient means of communication.  This brings me to another observation I've made of the children I've seen as of late in my travel here.

    Children in this time all seem to have little boxes they hold in their hands and obsess over ceaselessly.  It would seem as though they've given up conversation in lieu of something called, “texting.”  Here and there one will see these young people flitting away with their digits upon the box and responding as if the box doth talk back.  I asked one such youngster what it was doing and was promptly told, “texting” in a seeming air of contempt.  Upon further research, I found that there are several rules, even laws regarding this activity of “texting.”  Though it illegal to engage in this activity whilst in operation of their mechanical carriages (You've just GOT to see these contraptions), yet do they this even to their own peril.  I quite suggest refraining from the use of these little boxes as gifts until a child should gain the age of majority and perhaps additionally a spark of wisdom doth ignite in its youthful, hormone addled, mind. 

I fear I have digressed much, and I shall get quickly to the point.  I am presently in need of one of these special letters of credit – I think someone just called it a, “credit card.”  (helpful, albeit rude some of these people be.  I am stuck at this blasted contraption and they've no sympathy for my situation.  Some little tart did call out the letters, O-M-G, as if this were some manner of instruction.  Clearly, this be not the case as there were no such label or reference upon this infernal device.  I really can’t abide the distortion of the language – it seems all too foreign to me.)  At any rate, would you be so kind as to procure one of these “Credit Cards” for me so as I might finish my transaction here.  As much as the shopkeeper did assure me his establishment operates round the clock (Seems like a folly to do such a thing.  Doth he not sleep? Or perhaps he be more like the undead and sleep no longer a part of his bodily need be) so as I may complete my transaction before the natives grow more restless than presently.

Yours truly,

Chester Elf.



Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Chasing Daylight




   We’re  late.  Our flight is late.  Through a myriad of missteps and a comedy of errors, we’re now finally getting off the ground.  Of course, by this time we should have been comfortably on our way.  We should have been off the ground before twilight.
   And now the pilot has put the throttle down and we’re racing westward, onward to our destination.  The sun teases on the horizon as we race the coming shadow, chasing daylight.  There’s little one can do when blocked by competing traffic on the tarmac after an errant plane blocked departure from the gate.
   Damned double-parked DC 10!
For now, we’re behind schedule.  For now, we’re just making up for lost time, chasing the sun; chasing the last colors and hues of the day.  Like the drowning man reaching for a floating bit of foam, we’re just chasing daylight.

   And as the darkness settles in, Mac Arthur’s words ring and my ears, “Old soldiers don’t die, they just fade away.”

Friday, August 9, 2013

A Beautiful Heist - A Tale of Stolen Title



   Malice aforethought denotes a wanton and even planned act of villainy.  To engage in it is to be one of planning, knowing full well that boundaries are to be crossed and injury of some kind will be inflicted.  This doesn't necessarily mean that one inflicts said injury as the singular objective of one's activity, but rather that nothing is done in mitigation of its expected effect.

   When once an author of Belgian descent set out to write a story, inspired by the the corruption he saw in the financial institutions of America and the political systems that support those financial institutions, he naively thought that the title of his work, and that of others', was a part of their copyright.  His title, A Beautiful Heist, chronicled some of the corrupt ways a futuristic organized criminal might acquire a company for pennies on the dollar, and it's villain a mysterious and shadowy almost, if not certainly, supernatural man of timeless age, extravagant taste, and immeasurable power.  Could he be brought down by the judge of  a court?  Would he be made to account for his crimes and be exposed for his own selfish and wicked deeds?  

    Well, as it would be revealed some two and a half years post of the original, another author seemed to have taken a jealous eye to this man's Title and sought to take it as her own.  One might never know the answers to the above questions. as with the help of a publishing house, Kensington by name, this woman did publish her own more Harlequin style of fiction under the same A Beautiful Heist.

    This of course puzzled the man, as he had done a long day's search via multiple resources to ensure that he would not take the title of another author's work.  This would be a dishonorable and despicable thing to do.  It would show a complete lack of respect for the honor and effort of that other author.  But of course this is America after all and not everyone grows up under the auspices of an Honor Code.  From 8th grade to his graduation from Culver Military Academy, the man lived under the code, "I will not lie, cheat, or steal, and I shall discourage others from such actions."  It is the code of a gentleman, it is the code of any person who would claim honor of his or her own.  The code was, "Conceived by and for the cadet corps of Culver... with the intention of developing within the corps of cadets, a respect for one's personal honor."  That respect is an important thing to the man, and it would seem only as natural that he might expect the same in return.

    So, the man found himself in a place undesired.  Should he, one man, take on a publishing house in New York City who, it might be expected, should have an army of lawyers at the ready prepared, even licking their chops, to lawyer their way around the theft of another author's title?  Would he even have a chance against their Harvard-graduated minds, and experienced scheming?  Not to mention that they have the home "court" advantage being in New York City.

    With a bit of angst and a sense of irony from the nature of the title stolen, he has fired the opening salvo to what he hopes will be a quick and cordial resolution to the would-be scandal.

Stay tuned, as one can only WISH that this were fiction.

ORIGINAL
OFFENDING


To Be Continued...

Friday, June 7, 2013

Random Nonsense

Inspired by another non-sense poem (Bet you can't guess that one):

One bright May in the middle of a blight,
Two bread toys got up a fright.
One was kind, the other couldn't pee,
Machine Shop Kenny was a refugee.
Hack to crack, they paced each other,
Drew some pics and forgot another.
A daft old clansman heard the ploys,
and came to eat the two bread toys.
Now if you think the fry is roux,
Ask the hangman, he ate 'em too.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Something's Wrong With This Picture, er... Video



It's scary, sometimes, to realize how far we can go before we notice what should have been totally obvious right from the off.  Can YOU tell what's wrong with this picture?


Friday, April 5, 2013

A Tale of Mr. Fox


Welcome to Ada, Michigan, just a little South and East of Grand Rapids, where in the woods, lives a neighborly group of woodland creatures, each one playing an important role in the culture of the wood.  On one particular Autumn day, Mr. Squirrel was out gathering acorns for the long winter ahead, when along came Mr. Fox who craved a little… …conversation….
 
“Hello Mr. Squirrel,” said Mr. Fox.
 
“Hello Mr. Fox,” he replied.

“What are you doing there?”
  
“I’m gathering acorns.  Why do you ask?”
 
“Well, what do you do with all those acorns?  You can’t possibly be eating them all.”
 
“Well, we squirrels do a few things with them.  Right now I’m storing them to save them for later.”
 
“Why not just find them when you need them like Mr. Rabbit does, or like the deer do?”
 
“I just like knowing that I have  enough for the winter before the cold air sets in.”  As Mr. Squirrel finished saying this it occurred to him that Mr. Fox didn’t seem to be doing anything, but was simply gazing rather intently upon him.
 
“Mr. Fox, why aren’t YOU saving up for the long winter months?”
 
“Oh, my food won’t keep though the winter.  Besides, I like my food nice and fresh.”  stated Mr. Fox with a not-so-subtle lick of the chops.
 
“You don’t say,” replied Mr. Squirrel with a little hesitation.
 
“Well, while fresh acorns are the best, I’m still a believer in saving because the winter can be a cruel teacher to those who don’t.  Don’t YOU save for winter Mr. Rabbit?”
 
Heh, heh, heh!  Are you kidding? I ONLY eat fresh food.  Yes, Sir! Only the best for me and my family.”
 
“But why not save up for the times when food is not so easy to get?”
 
“I eat fresh food because I’m worth it!”
 
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” said Mr. Fox.  “Won’t you join me for a little fresh dinner, Mr. Rabbit?”
 
“Well-gotta-go! Got-carrots-to-eat-you-know!  B-B-Bye”  And with a parting tip of his ear, and a quick show of his cotton tale, Mr. Rabbit was gone.
 
“Mr. Cardinal!  You’re just in time.  Mr. Fox and I were just talking about the need to save up for the winter.  Don’t you save up for the winter months?”
 
“Well, actually, I need to be careful of my weight.  I have to fly to be able to find food and building materials for my home.”
 
“But what do you do for the winter?”
 
“Oh, I go to my summer home in Alabama.”
 
“So Mr. Cardinal, won’t YOU join me for supper?”
 
“Sorry-gotta-fly!  I’ve-got-a-tight-schedule-to-keep,” and with a few flaps of his wings, Mr. Cardinal was out of sight.
 
“So, Mr. Squirrel.  It seems that we’re alone again.  Tell me, what do you do with all your extra acorns?”
 
“I go NUTS, of course!"  After an awkward pause he resumed, "OK, well there’s a few things we can do with those acorns.  Of course, when we squirrels get hungry during the winter, we have a ready-supply of food.”
 
“Yes, yes.  You’ve covered that.  What else?”
 
“Well, in the Spring, as we’re planning on a future family, we can drop some of those acorns onto the ground and let them grow into new oak trees.”
 
“What good is that?  You can’t eat an oak tree, can you?”
 
“No, silly.  Of course I can’t eat an oak tree, but oak trees are where the acorns come from.   By planting more oak trees, there’ll be more acorns to harvest for my growing family.”
 
“A growing family you say.  Sounds interesting.  Tell me, what else do you  do with all those acorns?”  
 
As Mr. Fox asked this, he noticed that there were several other squirrels gathering around him.
 
“They’re helpful for letting others know when they’ve worn out their welcome.”  And Mr. Fox was forced to make a hasty exit under a hail of acorns.
 

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The Cat from the Frat Comes Back.

Here's a little bed-time reading for the kids.  The link to the video read of this is on my Video Links page:



 The Cat From the Frat Comes Back…
By: Paul Van Huffel – 11/16/2009
This was no time to pray
This was no time to pun
This was no time for dames
There was work to be done.
 
  All that deep,
 Deep, deep dough
All that dough had to go.
 
When our speaker went
In to the Inn for the day,
She said, “Somebody has to
Glean all this away.
Somebody, SOMEBODY
Has to you see.”
Then she picked out two Somebodies.
Barney and me.
 
Well…
There we were.
We were trimming like that
And then who should come up
But the CAT FROM THE FRAT!
 
“Uh-oh!” Barney Said.
“Don’t you hire that cat.
That cat is a mad one,
That Cat from the Frat.
He does lots of bad tricks.
He’ll break us I fear.
You know what he did
The last time he was here.”
 
“Do tricks?” Laughed the Cat.
“Oh, my my!  No, no, no!
I just want to get in
And count all your dough.
Keep your mind on your work.
You just stay there, you two.
I will go in the House
And find something to do.”
 
Then the cat slipped right in!
He was up to no good!
So I raced in after
As quick as I could.
 
Do you know where I found him?
Do you know where he was?
He was dealing in sub-prime mortgages!
Yes he was!
He was setting up risk
And deferring his pay
And I said to the Cat,
“When the heck’s your payday?”
 
“But I like to sell homes
In this way,” laughed the cat.
“You should try it sometime,”
Laughed the cat as he tat.
 
And then I got bad.
This was no time for puns.
I said, ”Cat, you get out!
I have work by the ton.
We have no time for tricks.
We must go back and trim.
We can’t have you in here
Wasting funds on a whim!
You get out of the House!
We don’t want you about!”
Then I cut off his funding
And let it run out.
 
The funding ran out.
And then I SAW THE RING!
A ring ‘round our books!
And, oh boy! What a thing!
A big long red cat ring!
It looked like red ink!
And I said, “Will we ever
Shed debt? I don’t think!”
 
“Have no fear of that debt,”
Laughed the Cat from the Frat.
“Why, I can take debt
Off books.  Just like that!”
 
Do you know how he did it?
WITH FANNIE’S NEW DRESS!
Now the books were all clean,
But her dress was a mess.
 
Then Barney looked in.
Barney saw the dress, too!
And Barney and I
Did not know what to do.
We should work on the dough.
But that dress!  What a lot!
“It may never come off!”
Barney said.  “It may not!”
 
But the cat laughed, “Oh, no! 
I can make the debt go!
The way to take debt off a dress
Is just so!”
 
“Look Here!” laughed the Cat.
“It is no feat.
The thing that takes debt
Off a dress is Wall Street!”
Then we saw the cat wipe
The debt off the dress.
Now the dress was all clean.
But the DOW!  What a mess!
 
“Oh, DOW drops!” he laughed.
“Let me drop you a shoe.
To save DOW drops et al,
All I need is your news!”
 
Whose news did he use?
I looked and saw whose!
And I said to the cat,
“These are very bad ewes.
Now the debt is all over
THE SIX-THIRTY NEWS!”
 
“But your news will not
Know about that,”
Said the cat.
“They will never find out,”
Laughed the Cat from the Frat.
“The six-thirty news will have
No debt at all.
I will write them all off
With these cars in the hall.”
 
“But now we have CARS DEBT!”
I yelled. “What the hay!
CARS Debt!  What’s next?
Can you take THAT away?”
“Don’t tempt me,” he laughed.
“Why, you know that I will!”
Then he hopped in his car.
I was feeling quite ill.
 
“I can clean up this CARS debt
Before you count three!
No debt is too big
For a Frat Cat like me!”
 
He ran into the Senate
And then the cat said,
“It is good that your Senate
Has the right kind of bread.”
 
Then he shook the bill!
SMACK!
Now the Fed had the debt.
And all I could say was,
“You’re all wet, Cat!
You’re all wet!”
 
But the cat now looked ill.
He just stared at the Fed.
“This is NOT the right kind of bread
The cat said.
To take debt off THIS Fed
will be hard,” said the cat.
“I can’t do it alone,”
Said the Cat from the Frat.
  
“It is good I have some one
to hep me,” he said.
“Right here in the ACORN
On top of my head!
It is good that I have him
Here with me today.
He helps me a lot.
This is Senator A!”
 
Then Senator A
 took the cap off HIS head.
“It is good I have some one
To help ME,” he said.
“This is Senator B.
And I keep him about.
And when I need funding
Then I let him come out.”
 
And then B said,
“I think we need Senator C.
That debt is too much
for the A guy and me.
But now, have no fear!
we will glean it away!
The three of us, Senators B, C, and A!”
 
“Come on!  Wipe it away!”
Yelled Senator A.
 
“I will hide that old debt
In this room! Do you see?
It comes off the old Fed!
It goes on your T.V.”
 
And then Senator B
Cleaned up the T.V.
 
He wrote up a bill
Put the debt in Japan!
Then C sent it out
of the House with a fan!
 
“But look where it went!”
I said. “Look where it blew!”
You blew the mess
Out of the House.  That is true.
But now you made Dough Debt!
You can’t let THAT stay!”
 
“Let’s consider that now,”
Said C, B, and A.
 
“With some help, we can do it!”
said  Senator C.
Then BANG!  On his head
We saw Senator D.
Then, BANG!  BANG!  BANG!
Senators E, F, and G!
 
“We will launder that dough
If it takes us all day!
If it takes us all night,
We will wash it away!”
Said  Senators G, F, E, D, C, B, A.
 
Then Senator G
Took the cap of his debt.
“I have Senator H
Here to help us he said.”
 
“Senators H, I, J,
K, L, and M.
But our debt is so big
We must have more than them.
We need Senator N.
We need O.  We need P.
We need Congressmen Q, R, S, T,
U and V.”
 
“Come on!  Spread those debts!
Kill the mess!” yelled the cat.
And they jumped at the dough
With new bills and red ink.
They sent some to jails
And they made paper hills!
Ink straw men, Green Taxes
And new healthcare bills!
 
Oh, the money they spent!
And they spent as such rates,
It was all one big debt pile
All over the states!
But the Cat just stood there
And he said, “this is good.
This is what they need do
And I knew that they would.”
 
“With a little more debt,
All the work will be done.
They need one more guy.
And I know just the one.”
 
“Look close at my plan
I have Congressman V.
On his bed are Rep’s W,
X, Y, and Z.”
 
“Z is too fried to free.
So don’t try.  He’s not vet.
But Z is the one
Who will clean up the debt!”
 
“Now here is the Z
You can’t free,” said the Cat.
“And I bet you can’t guess
What he has in HIS Frat!”
  
“He has something called Shroom.
Shroom is so hard to get
You’ve never had anything
Like it, I bet.
Why Shroom cleans up everything
clean as can be!”
Then he yelled,
“Get your Frat on now,
Congressman Z!
Take the Shroom off your head!
Make it clean out the dough!
Hurry! You Congressman!
One, two, three, GO!”
 
Then the Shroom…
It went VROOM
And oh, Boy! What ensued!
Now don’t ask me what Shroom is.
I don’t want to know.
But, boy!  Let me tell you
It SUCKS UP THE DOUGH!
 
“So you see!” laughed the Cat,
Now your reps are all deft!
Now your dough is all gone!
Now your House is all Left!
And you know where my Senators are?”
Said the Cat.
That Shroom blew those Senators
Under the mat.
And so if you ever
Have debt, now and then,
I will be more than happy
To come here again…
 
With Senators A, B, C, D..
E, F, G,
H, I, J, K,
L, M, N
and O, P.
And Q, R, S, T,
And Rep. U and Rep. V,
And Congressmen W, X, Y, and Z.

RE: Terry Jones



 This one's a little more politically bent...

Now Jones was a reverend of lore
Whose greatest ambition was war.
He burned the Koran
Sent pics to Afghan.
To incite a great wrath and more.

Ballad of a Bovine

OK.  I think we all know that Mrs. O'Leary's cow didn't ACTUALLY start the Chicago fire, but this was a funny quip of a limerick.



Ballad of a Bovine

Tis the ballad of Mrs. O’Leary
And her cow on an evening most dreary.
It kicked a lantern
And started a burn
As the Mrs. Cried, “Oh, my, my, dear me!”