Signs, signs, everywhere signs…

Last time it was a “thot dump”; today it’s a photo dump. (I suppose I should call this a “foto dump” to be consistent with my previous lazy Madison Ave. spelling style.) As with my post ideas, which occasionally back up like a bad plumbing job, my photo bin overfloweth. This will clean out a bunch of the backlog, but without the nasty sewage odor.

The topic today, as evidenced by the post title*, is “signs”. These are signs I’ve seen over time that have caught my attention as interesting for various unrelated reasons. Maybe it’s just me. You be the judge.

I’ve never seen such a blatant disregard for beach hygiene! We all know it’s gonna happen, but why encourage it?
I’m not a beer drinker but even I can appreciate this little bit of restaurant humor.
It’s hard to read with the reflection where it is, but right above the message to “come on in”, there’s a sign saying the place is closed. An invitation to thieves, perhaps?
Sure, but I bet they won’t tell me which I am!
I’ve seen a lot of motorcycles on the road and this blanket statement is patently untrue of many.
The worst of both worlds in this post-Covid work environment. You have to drive to work, but you can’t get out of your car. Or maybe they want you to sit in the empty space.
All your flooring needs maybe, but don’t count on any spelling help. Last I checked, “carpet” and “care” start with the same letter anyway. Why this nonsense?
This is just plain cruel. The fish are in the water, for Pete’s sake, but you aren’t allowed anywhere near it! I suppose if you had long enough fishing line…

* For the non-Boomers in the crowd, this is a reference to an absolutely fantastic song from 1971 by a sadly underappreciated Canadian group, The Five Man Electrical Band. Then again, maybe latter day musical aficionados will recognize it. Not long ago, I saw a photo of yet another sign saying “Hiring is so bad, long haired freaky people are encouraged to apply.” Gotta love that!

FAQs

(Any web site worth its salt has an FAQs page. Mine has never done so. That could be an inhibitor to its growth from a platform for a curmudgeon trying to unload his lame scribbling to a viral social media giant.

Or not.)

  • Why do you bother with this blog after seven years of almost complete reader indifference?

A fair question, one I’ve wrestled with many times. The most obvious is ego. Having a blog allows me to pretend I have something of import to say, when it’s highly doubtful I do. That’s a self-defeating concept since, as you so clearly and painfully point out, no one appears to be reading it. Ouch! (Thank you for not noting my other blog, “Limping in the Light”, which experienced a similar lack of impact for 10 years. Oh my.)

Another, more reasonable excuse is the desire to sell books. I have seven out there as of this typing (2021) with one more in the works. There’s an infinitesimal but non-zero chance that Oprah will happen on this site and discover that my novel about Haiti, “A Slippery Land”, is perfect for her book club… which it is.

Finally, I just like writing. It’s enjoyable and it’s therapeutic.

  • Have you read the new Andy Weir book, “Project Hail Mary”?

Yes, and it’s great. Similar to “The Martian” in both style and entertainment value. Highly recommended.

  • Can I borrow ten bucks?

No.

  • What’s the deal with that guy in the commercial who points at all your junk and it just goes away?

Nothing is more annoying to me. Our stuff doesn’t just “go away”. There is no “away”. Living under that delusion has brought this world to the predicament it’s in today.

  • How many Frenchmen can’t be wrong?

Last I checked, it was 1,000,000. That might have changed.

  • Is it true that Dick van Dyke was originally cast as the lead in the old movie, “The Omen”?

That’s what I heard. It would be a very different movie with him instead of Gregory Peck, don’t you think? It might have been a musical.

  • Why do people say “dial the phone” when there hasn’t been a dial on a phone in decades?

The same reason my father used to tell us to turn off the gas on the electric stove.

  • How about five bucks?

Okay.

  • Why do motorcycles make so much noise their riders can’t hear themselves think?

They aren’t missing anything.

  • Then they turn up their music above the sound of the bike?

Go figure.

  • Is my call important to you?

Yes, and it will be recorded for customer satisfaction purposes.

  • Where can I get your awesome books?

On Amazon or from me directly.

  • What do you want to be when you grow up?

I have no intention of growing up.

  • What’s the meaning of life?

The Westminster Catechism says “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever.” That works for me.

  • Who are your favorite actors?

For some reason, my favorite actors tend to be more commonly in supporting roles as opposed to carrying a movie. Among those that come to mind at the moment are Stanley Tucci, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Bill Cobbs, Steve Zahn, Michael Pena, and a bunch more I can’t think of right now. I appreciate people like these folks who (1) are humble enough to take smaller roles, (2) flexible enough to play anything from drama to OTT humor, and (3) make every movie they’re in better.

  • Have you heard the one about the…

Yes.

  • What does “clockwise” mean?

You were born after 2000, weren’t you?

  • $7.50?

Give it a rest!


(Let me know if you have any more questions you need answered.)