Laughter is the best medicine!

[Deb]

Well, I'll play around with the idea of a Seth deck, although there are some difficulties involved, the biggest one being the prohibitive production cost and financial commitment/investment. Then there's Laurel owning the copyrights to all things Seth. And of course an enormous amount of time to produce the art... and I'm probably the slowest artist on the planet, lol.

I used to have a set of A-Hick's Law of Attraction cards. I loved their vibrant illustrations.

OK, I'm attaching another funny meme in the spirit of laughter. I've been there myself—the air feels so fresh and sweet after having a mask on.

[Deb]

Just look, it will make you happy.  

https://www.google.com/search?q=quokkas&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS910US910&sxsrf=ALeKk00-b-J44yCepMok8ggGrWuO7OY2Bw:1599840943439&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwigtIX5v-HrAhUcB50JHWDaA7gQ_AUoAXoECBoQAw&biw=1295&bih=813

[jbseth]

OK, I'm attaching another funny meme in the spirit of laughter. I've been there myself—the air feels so fresh and sweet after having a mask on.

Hey Deb,

I was going to say,  that looks a lot like the restaurant scene in the movie, "When Harry Met Sally".
Cool. 

-jbseth 

[Deb]

I was going to say,  that looks a lot like the restaurant scene in the movie, "When Harry Met Sally".
Cool. 

That's exactly it.

[Deb]

Thanks Amazon. As if.

[jbseth]

Hi Deb,

Now that's a great price, I think I'll get two of then;  NOT.   

I've come across this a couple of times at Amazon and to be honest, I don't understand how they come up with such a huge price tag. 

Do you think that its legitimate, or maybe someone accidently screwed up.

-jbseth

[T.M.]

Hi All,

Unless it's a signed first edition. Even then that's still a pretty hefty price tag. Kinda wish I would have my copy, that I got when it first came out!

[Deb]

Now that's a great price, I think I'll get two of then;

Well I think you should grab it, there's a second one listed for $987.25. Shipping is just $3.99.

The cheaper one is listed as New, the more expensive as Used - Good. Not collector's items or signed. I've seen this a lot on Amazon, not only with books, and no one really knows what's behind the strangely exorbitant prices. There have been some conspiracy theories on FB, people think it's related to human trafficking (some sort of secret code—just Google Wayfair trafficking). To me it's just one of those mysteries of life.

https://fortune.com/2020/07/14/wayfair-cabinet-conspiracy-algorithm-amazon-pricing-ecommerce/

Kinda wish I would have my copy, that I got when it first came out!

Sometimes you can find the older editions as Used on Amazon (not normally for these prices), and eBay often has old Jane/Seth books too.

[T.M.]

Hi All,

Hi Deb, I just wish I still had my copy to sell if they really are going for that much
Not sure why, I just didn't resonate with that book much. Maybe if I re-read it today I would appreciate it more.

[Deb]

OK, we listened to the amazing cover of Bohemian Rapsody back in May. I just came across this Muppet cover. Not as brilliant, but entertaining. And a real sing along (see attached photo of one of my chickens today. And yes, she's sitting on a patio chair.). And with 96 Million views! Well, ok, it's been around for a while. And who doesn't love the Muppets?

[jbseth]

Hi All,

I came across an email the other day that contained the message below.


6 allowed at Thanksgiving but 30 allowed at a funeral.

I will be holding a "funeral" for my pet turkey, who will pass away on November, 26, 2020. Refreshments provided.



- jbseth

[Deb]

OK, during "normal" times this would not strike me as funny, but when I saw this article I had to shake my head and snort a little.

In addition to causing "maskne" and skin infections on the face and around the mouth, persistent coughing, "mask mouth," and respiratory illnesses including lung infections, it turns out that most everyone infected with COVID-19 "always" wore masks, according to a newly published study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/new-cdc-study-finds-majority-of-those-infected-with-covid-19-always-wore-masks/

[LarryH]

I'm not sure I believe self-reports of people who claimed that they "always" wear face masks. A significant percentage also said that they went to restaurants and bars, so obviously, they didn't always wear face masks. A significant percentage were also in close contact with Covid-positive family members, friends, or co-workers. I would think it would be still a high risk even with a mask while sharing the same interior space for long periods of time with a Covid-positive person.

[Deb]

And yet it was good enough for the CDC to publish a report.

My son told me he went to a party 4 weeks ago with a bunch of 20 somethings. Turns out the hostess had covid. The partygoers shared shot glasses, joints, god knows what else. No one got sick.

I don't know what to believe at this point. Do you?

[LarryH]

I don't know what to believe at this point. Do you?

Two words about whether or not to wear a mask: White House

[Deb]

"Splain yourself."

[LarryH]

The White House is currently in its third wave of Covid-19 within its walls, steeped in a culture that makes fun of people who wear masks. I'm not making a political statement. It was the president who made mask-wearing a political issue, so I think it's fair game in any discussion about masks. After former New Jersey governor Chris Christie got the virus following one of the White House super-spreader events, he said that he had been "stupid" for not wearing a mask. Herman Cain died from the virus after attending a Trump rally without a mask and after ridiculing those who wear a mask.

Again, I mistrust self-reports, especially when it would be embarrassing to admit otherwise. Masks are not by any means a 100% effective barrier. Many of those patients reported living with or working with people with the virus or going to restaurants or bars, all of which are high-risk situations, and you can't wear a mask "all the time" when in restaurants or bars.

[Deb]

Telephone Tribute
a True Story by Paul Villard

This is not a funny story, but I thought it was touching, and a great example of what Seth said in my favorite quote, and also of how strangers can positively touch each others' lives in ways they don't even realize.

The smile that you give can be given in no other way. You can smile as an individual in a way that no other human being, dead or alive, can smile. And the touch of your hand can change a life in a way that no other individual, alive or dead, could change that life. You act upon those that you know and those that you do not know in ways that no other individual can ever act.

a True Story by Paul Villard

When I was quite young, my family had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished oak case fastened to the wall on the lower stair landing. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I even remembered the number - 105. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked into it. Once she lifted me up to speak to my father, who was away on business. Magic! Then I discovered that somewhere inside that wonderful device lived an amazing person -- her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing that she did not know. My mother could ask her for anybody's number and when our clock ran down, Information Please immediately supplied the correct time.

My first personal experience with this genie-in-the-receiver came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the toolbench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn't seem to be of much use crying because there was no one home to offer sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver and held it to my ear. "Information Please," I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two, and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. "Information." "I hurt my fingerrr-" I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. "Isn't your mother home?" came the question. "Nobody's at home but me," I blubbered. "Are you bleeding?". "No", I replied. "I hit it with the hammer and it hurts". "Can you open your icebox?" she asked. I said I could. "Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it on your finger. That will stop the hurt. Be careful when you use the ice pick," she admonished. "And don't cry. You'll be alright".

After that, I called Information Please for everything. I asked for help with my Geography and she told me where Philadelphia was, and the Orinco--the romantic river I was going to explore when I grew up. She helped me with my Arithmetic, and she told me that a pet chipmunk--I had caught him in the park just that day before--would eat fruits and nuts. And there was the time that Petey, our pet canary, died. I called Information Please and told her the sad story. She listened, then said the usual things grown-up say to soothe a child. But I was unconsoled. Why was it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to whole families, only to end as a heap of feathers feet up, on the bottom of a cage? She must have sensed my deep concern, for she quietly said, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow, I felt better.

Another day I was at the telephone. "Information," said the now familiar voice. "How do you spell fix?". F-I-X." At that instant my sister, who took unholy joy in scaring me, jumped off the stairs at me with a banshee shriek--"Yaaaaaaaaaa!" I fell off the stool, pulling the receiver out of the box by its roots. We were both terrified--Information Please was no longer there, and I was not at all sure that I hadn't hurt her when I pulled the receiver out. Minutes later, there was a man on the porch. "I'm a telephone repairman. I was working down the street and the operator said there might be some trouble at this number." He reached for the receiver in my hand. "What happened?" I told him. "Well, we can fix that in a minute or two." He opened the telephone box exposing a maze of wires and coils, and fiddled for a while with the end of the receiver cord, tightened things with a small screwdriver. He jiggled the hook up and down a few times, then spoke into the phone. "Hi, this is Pete. Everything's under control at 105. The kid's sister scared him and he pulled the cord out of the box." He hung up, smiled, gave me a pat on the head and walked out the door.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Then, when I was nine years old, we moved across he country to Boston--and I missed my mentor acutely. Information Please belonged in that old wooden box back at home, and I somehow never thought if trying the tall, skinny new phone that sat on the small table in the hall. Yet, as I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversation never really left me; often in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had when I know that I could call Information Please and get the right answer. I appreciated now how very patient, understanding and kind she was to have wasted her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way back to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour between plan connections, and I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister who lived there now, happily mellowed by marriage and motherhood. Then, really without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information Please." Miraculously, I heard again the small, clear voice that I know so well:"Information." I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you tell me, please, how to spell the word 'fix'?" There was a long pause. Then came the softly spoken answer. "I guess," said Information Please, "that your finger must have healed by now." I laughed. "So it's really still you. I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during all that time...." "I wonder," she replied, "if you know how much you meant to me? I never had any children, and I used to look forward to your calls. Silly, wasn't it?" It didn't seem silly, but I didn't say so. Instead I told her how often I had thought of her over the years, and I asked if I could call her again when I come back to visit my sister when the semester was over. "Please do. Just ask for Sally." "Goodbye Sally." It sounded strange for Information Please to have a name. "If I run into any chipmunks, I'll tell them to eat fruits and nuts." "Do that," she said. "And I expect one of these days you'll be off for the Orinoco. Well, good-bye."

Just three months later, I was back again at the Seattle airport. A different voice answered, "Information," and I asked for Sally. "Are you a friend?" "Yes," I said. "An old friend." "Then I'm sorry to have to tell you. Sally had only been working part-time in the last few years because she was ill. She died five weeks ago." But before I could hung up, she said, "Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Villard?" "Yes." "Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down." "What was it?" I asked, almost knowing in advance what it would be. "Here it is, I'll read it--'Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean'"

I thanked her and hung up. I did know what Sally meant.

[jbseth]

Hi All,

For all you Mandalorian and Star Wars fans I saw this the other day and thought it was funny in a very cute sort of way.  There is now a "Baby Yoda" Cocktail. The other day on "Today" they posted the following:

As Season 2 of the Disney+ hit show loomed, Michael Young, co-owner of the Vault Wood Fired Pizza in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, says he wanted to create something that would pay tribute to what just may be the cutest thing on television.

Enter the Vault's Baby Yoda Cocktail, a combination of vodka, muddled kiwi, fresh lime, demerara syrup and bitters, garnished with lime wedge "ears" and a burlap wrap that transform a simple martini glass into a tiny, drinkable Baby Yoda.


Below is an image of this cocktail.


-jbseth

[Deb]

While I was a Star Wars fan back in the day, I don't know what the Baby Yoda thing is about. But I have to say that is the cutest drink I've ever seen!

[jbseth]

Hi Deb, Hi All,

OK, here's some background information on "Baby Yoda".

If you remember, in the Star Wars movie, "Return of the Jedi", fairly early on in the movie, Luke and Princess Leia are on Jedda the Hut's ship, which is located directly over a giant sand worm on the planet, Tatoonie. Jedda plans to kill people off by forcing them off a pirate type of plank, where they'll fall into the giant sand worm's mouth.

In this scene, Luke goes all "Jedi Knight" and ends up killing Jedda the Hut and a bunch of the bad guys. One of these bad guys was a man who was seemingly encased in a metal rocket suit. This man, who attacked Luke was named "Jango Fet" and Jango Fet, I believe was a member of the "Mandaloriens".

In the Star Wars movies, the "Mandaloriens" were not discussed very much. However, apparently they were a group of people, similar to Jango Fet, who were a fierce warrior group who also wear heavily armored rocket suits.



There is a new Disney streaming service, Disney Plus or Disney+, and this new service has a new "Star Wars" TV show on its service called "The Mandalorien".

On this new show, the main character, Mondo, a Mandalorien does some bounty hunter type of work to make ends meet. One of these jobs that he takes on, is to go, capture and return a very specific being that these powerful (and maybe evil) people want him to capture and return to them.

This being turns out to be a member of Yoda's race.  This being isn't Yoda himself however and it's just a baby.  Maybe just 10 inches tall.  Since nobody seems to know the name of this baby, everyone refers to it as "Baby Yoda" and Baby Yoda is really cute. Everyone seems to love him and he's a really big thing on the internet this year.

Here are some images of Baby Yoda, in the show, "The Mandaloriean" from Google.

https://www.google.com/search?q=baby+yoda&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiN4rWwlIDtAhXlLX0KHQiBAMYQ_AUoAXoECCYQAw&biw=1093&bih=429&dpr=1.25


Enjoy.  

-jbseth

[jbseth]

Hi All,

Wow. This is like "Where's Waldow." How many errors can you find in the "Star Wars" story that I wrote about, above.

I've spotted 2 at least.

1) It was Boba Fett, not Jango Fet.

2) It was "Jabba the Hutt", not Jedda the Hut".  Wow, I'm surprised that I didn't write,  "Attila the Hut".

-jbseth 

[Deb]

That made me laugh because I thought it was Jabba the Hut and then thought I'd just been wrong all these years. And I didn't remember a Boba, but my memory is not that sharp anyway.

I loved the Baby Yoda things, my favorite being the mask: "too close you are." 

[jbseth]

I loved the Baby Yoda things, my favorite being the mask: "too close you are." 

Hi Deb,

Oh Wow. I must have missed that mask. I love it. "Too close your are." That's great.

-jbseth

[Deb]

Let us resume this topic.

[jbseth]

Hi All,

I just heard this recently.

"Who would have thought that in 2020, people would be gathering together and smoking marijuana but the illegal part would have to do with the gathering? 

-jbseth

[Deb]

One of my favorite comics, and I have to say as old as this is (1978), it's SO SETH. Enjoy. I have more for tomorrow.

[LarryH]

Christmastime for the Jews

[Deb]

If George Carlin was around today, this would be his shtick on Coronavirus. I can totally relate to his story of swimming in sewage. Back in the 70s I used to water ski in the Hudson, near the Tappan Zee bridge. We would see what we called sh*t slicks on the river, and avoided them. It was a wonderful teaching aid—I quickly learned to stay UP on the skis and not fall over. I survived. I have a really healthy immune system due to my childhood. Lol.

[jbseth]

Hi Deb, Hi All,

Thanks for those great George Carlin videos Deb, they are awesome.   

George was one of my most favorite comedians of all time.

He was fantastic.

I have a video of his on "religion" that is really great. I won't post it here because he really gets into it and I'm pretty sure that it would probably some people here. Just knowing how George can be, you can probably imagine how funny it is.

-jbseth

[Deb]

George Carlin was brilliant. I remember his shtick on religion. Again, brilliant. I love his irreverence. Really, people need to lighten up. Comics can get away with stuff no one else can these days.

I came across this channel several years ago. A young woman, pretending to be drunk, on her cooking channel. Cute.

"All food that involves cheese is an excuse to eat cheese." That one stuck with me, lol. Then she gets poetic about it. And her problem with the microwave timer—let's just say, I've been there.

[Deb]

I thought this was a lot of fun.

[Deb]

These are silly but fun. Happy New Year everyone!

[Deb]

OK I've come up for a breath of fresh air from the Mary Dillman Research project I've inherited to add some things to this neglected topic. Attaching some photos from a Quora post on what happens when book store employees are bored. I thought these were brilliant and as clever as all get-out.

[jbseth]

Hi Deb, Hi All,

Wow. These photographs of bored bookstore employees are really awesome.

When I saw these photos yesterday, I was reminded of a similar image that I saw somewhere in one of my books. For the last day or so, I've been racking my brain, trying to figure out where, and in which book, I saw a similar image.  Today I finally found it.

I have a hardbound book called "Great Events of the 20th Century", by Readers Digest. This book has a Copyright of 1977. In this book, on page 190, they have an image of an easel located inside a house, by an outside window, with a painting on it. The painting is an exact replica of the image found outside the window.

Attached is a crude pixilated jpeg file of this image. A better view of this image called, "The Human Condition", can be found at:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=the+human+condition+rene+magritte&form=HDRSC2&first=1&tsc=ImageHoverTitle


In this book, the caption underneath this image seems to suggest that this artist, Rene' Magritte, had an almost "Sethian" concept in mind when he painted this picture. Especially, in regards to what Seth has to say about the nature of reality, Framework 1 and Framework 2.  Below is the caption located under this image, in this book.

Belgian surrealist Rene' Magritte, wrote of his painting "The Human Condition" (1933): "In front of a window... I placed a picture representing exactly that part of the landscape which was masked by the picture. In this way the tree represented in the picture hid the tree standing behind it, outside the room. For the spectator the tree was at one and the same time in the room – in the picture – and, by inference, outside the room – the real landscape.   This is how we see the world; we see it outside ourselves and yet we have only a representation of it within us.


-jbseth

[jbseth]

Hi All,

In regards to the image in the previous post, the artist, Rene' Magritte says the following.

"This is how we see the world; we see it outside ourselves and yet we have only a representation of it within us."


Given what Seth has to say about the "camouflage" reality of Framework 1, and the true inner reality of Framework 2, I would say this differently. I would say this instead.

This is how we see the world; we see it outside ourselves and yet its true reality exists and resides within us.


-jbseth

[Deb]

I meant to respond to the Magritte post a while ago, got sidetracked. That painting is amazing, he's an artist I really loved and forgot about! Very deep quote from him regarding the painting, sounds very Seth-like too.

In the spirit of art, here are some fun stagings of famous paintings. Some are more serious, others more just for fun.

There's a Magritte in there too.

[jbseth]

Hi Deb, Hi All,

Wow. Those were great. Thanks for sharing Deb. 

I particularly liked how the various famous artists were represented.

The woman in the magritte staging image was wearing what looked like a COVID mask. How appropriate.

Again, thanks for sharing Deb.

-jbseth

[Deb]

If you're watching the news right now, knock it off and watch this video instead. Simply amazing. Adding a couple of funny memes as attachments too.

[Deb]

Hey peeps, more comic relief from current reality. First theme, melting animals, and then a couple of bonuses.

[Deb]

Well it's been a while since anyone has posted here, but today I came across some funny stuff on FB. The third one is about a proposed DIY colonoscopy, which is not meant to be funny but I just can't imagine....

[jbseth]

Hi Deb,Hi All,

Those are really great Deb, thanks for posting them.

I particularly liked the High School Reunion article.

-jbseth

[Deb]

I particularly liked the High School Reunion article.

Me too. Here are a couple more memes... plus another little gem I found in the Research Project files. I'm sure there will be more! It's a joke quiz Sue Watkins presented during one of the class sessions.  I suppose I could track down the exact class date, will do so at some point.

[jbseth]

Hi Deb, Hi All,

Wow, I really liked those too.  I wonder if the woman in Poland has put her arm down yet.

What do you suppose happened if your failed the quiz? Would anyone know the correct answers? Would anyone really care? 

-jbseth

[Deb]

What do you suppose happened if your failed the quiz? Would anyone know the correct answers? Would anyone really care? 

Nope. Least of all, Seth. Some of the questions have NO correct answers, lol. I had the thought today we should all here "improve" on the quiz. Could be fun.

Here's a meme posted by an old childhood friend, I knew him when I was 4! Pretty scary that someone I knew when I was 4 is old enough now to put this up on Facebook. But I can relate. That's kinda scary too. 

[jbseth]

Hi Deb, Hi All,

Boy that Seenager story is really great. 

So that's why I keep going into a room and then I forget why I did so; to get exercise.


Love it, and I can definitely relate to it as well.

-jbseth

[usmaak]

[Deb]

Ewwww. I'm afraid this is going to start a fashion trend.