The Funny Farm

Internets Time Waster

^{Saturday, New Year's Day 2007}

Happy Midling New Year! That's right, our own adaptation of Shire Reckoning was based on the calculation Yule Day (Midling) = Christmas (Gregorian)*. Which makes today the start of the year, as well as one of the few days not within any month. And yet another announcement that our home publishing empire just might crank out a few 2008 Midling Calendars to be distributed to a select few. As well as announcing that the general public is, as always, invited to purchase a fine example of a different way to look at time - what with its' encouragement of the three day work week, and festive outlooks upon life for the whole year (two Fridays** and no Mondays every week certainly seems to help). Email me if you are interested in more details on this subject (please put Midling calendar in the subject line of the email if that's the case).

But that's not what I wanted to tell you about today. Nor do I feel that I could do justice to the good times and great festivities at the various places I have been since I posted here last. Let's just say that I continue to believe that I am one of the luckiest beings in the multiverse, and I hope to continue to appreciate what that luck brings to me as my time unfolds.

No, I just wanted to show you this wondrous waste of bandwith*** that PSoTD pointed all of us to. Here's just a few of the many peculiar aristocratic titles I generated with only two variants of my first name:

You shouldn't be doing anything else (if it's at all possible in your world) other than stuffing yourselves with goodness, or relaxing after stuffing yourselves with goodness, until at least the end of today. If you are that fortunate, personally, perhaps you could take a moment or two to reflect on how to help others who might not be quite so lucky get the chance to appreciate such things themselves.

* - because, after all, it seems that the main constant in human societies throughout recorded history has been a celebration of the return of the light (i.e. the days getting longer). Which is what the Midling tradition is all about - celebrating the knowledge that the seasons will come (in one form or another) as they always have for at least another year.

** - actually, there is one Friday, and one Fryday, each week. Did I mention that there are no Mondays?

*** - especially compared to the spambot afflictions and WorldNutDaily (just to name a prime example of) Republican't propaganda flooding the internets these days...

Quick Note To GoogleTube

^{Sunday, 26 Conclusion 2006}

Thanks very much for hosting this video:

It would be nicer if it hadn't been quite so difficult to put together this post - as soon as I tried to "share" this video here (by emailing the embed to myself), your code resized my (FireFox) browser window (and all of its' tabs) to a tiny memo pad. Which is an annoyance of very high degree* to some of us out here...

Thanks to my good friend American Stranger over at Blah³ for this most wondrous and festive journey down memory lane.

* - Once I got past all the popup blocker jazz in IE 7.whatever, I got your note, and was able to get what I wanted to host this on my site. Thanks for giving us the ability to host links to videos like this if we so choose!

Back In Business

^{Fryday, 24 Conclusion 2006}

Hey kids! Have fun while I was away?*

It's been one of the longest hiatuses ever for the Funny Farm - over a month. In that time, I've celebrated a birthday, had my place of business relocated (luckily I got relocated along with them!), been to Toronto numerous times, as well as dropping almost a case of Chinaco on my good friend Bart in St. Louis. So, it's not as though I haven't been busy...

I am also still trying to get rid of the latest flu bug (for almost all of that month as of right now); and dealing with some newly hostile co-workers and the resulting additional stress and diminishment of the enjoyable work environment occurring as a result thereof. So, it's not as if it's been smooth sailing all that time either...

I had a couple of things to post in the time I was away, too - and I almost managed to get them posted. Unfortunately the timing is off now so's you don't get to read my screeds to George Will and Dennis Pranger about their woefully inadequate understanding of the situations they have pontificated on in recent days.

I also have made some slight updates to the links zone, and will in all probability feature a couple of recurring weekly posts in the new year.

But there is one thing I would like to give you all a chance on once more:

This should be an easy Guess Ten contest for you to participate in. Since I would prefer not to spend even more time posting the complete lyrics to all these songs, I'm giving you one more last chance to show off your musical knowledge. And, in order to enhance your competitive spirit, I might find a way to get Santa to drop something in your stocking (depending on the post, it might not get in to your stocking until next year. We apologize for the inconvenience.) if you provide correct answers (song name and artist, but in case of ties the most accurate and detailed entry) to the lyrical challenges provided below:

Yes, this has been seen here before. But the comments are closed due to spambot comment prevention policies in effect by the management. You are hereby notified that you don't have long to get your answers in. At an unspecified time in the near future, you might get 24 hours notice, or the comments might just get shut down.

Prizes are yet to be completely sussed out but will include some vintage Republican't Chickenhawk decks of cards, and some good books by some of our (and hopefully yours, too!) favorite new writers. I haven't really worked that part out yet because I haven't had to worry about it much...

You might also not get any more postings before the end of the year. At any rate, I'd like to take this moment to wish you a Merry Merry and a Happy Happy - hope you get what you want and you want what you get! Take care...

Editors Note Fryday, 20 Premise 2007: this contest is now officially closed.

* - annoying grammatical error corrected by the Funny Farm Editorial Staff. D'oh!