Month: April 2021

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Ten Days – Ten Pix – No Comments – Day One

Have you ever seen one  of those social media posts that start out with “Ten Days – Ten Pix – No Comments?” Then, usually whoever was “nominated” will post ten days worth of stuff from vacations they took all over the world, starting maybe with a selfie in front of the Great Pyramid, and ending with a selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower – you know, just to show everyone how well-traveled and worldly they are? Yeah,  well, this is gonna be nothing like that.

It occurred to me that as we are coming out the tail end of this pandemic, those of us who are now fully vaccinated can start sticking a careful toe back in the social waters, but it might take us some time to re-acclimate to life as we once knew it. And the fact is, while many of us are still working from home, we might go a couple of weeks at a time without leaving the friendly confines of our home offices. I know that’s true for me. Maybe for you too?

So anyway, I’m committing to doing Ten Posts for Ten Days with Ten Pix – plus maybe just a few comments. (Because, after all, I’m such a verbal guy.) But in all likelihood I won’t venture far outside my neighborhood. And I’m certainly going nowhere near the Eiffel Tower or the Great Pyramid. But it still could be fun. Well, it’ll be fun as long as we keep the comments to a bare minimum of course. And as always, YOU are the beneficiary.

 

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So, without further ado, here’s today’s photo – which isn’t really a photo at all. Rather, it’s a fake quote from a famous Freudian, you know, just to set the tone for the next Ten Days with Ten Pix – without erecting any pyramids or towers. Because sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And the world is full of… well, you know.

 

Ten Days - Ten Pix - No Comments - Day One - Sigmund
Sigmund Freud never said this…    but maybe he should have?
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Lost Hiker Rescue and Geolocate Quiz

Hiker Rescued After Man Uses Photo to Pinpoint His Position.

He was missing since Monday in the SoCal mountains.

Full story here. Bonus pix and Geolocate quiz below.

 

Lost hiker sent SOS message and this photo to a friend. He was found after a stranger deduced his location from a Twitter post.

 

Bonus Geolocate Quiz

 

Anyone who can pinpoint the location for any of the following pix?

You get extra credit! But don’t worry, I’m no more lost than usual.

 

Sunrise

Kenosha Pass hut Geolocate - Topeka Geolocate - Backyard Geolocate - 710 Coronado

MileFive - Geolocate Canyon Geolocate

Opening Day - Nat'l anthem

Last Night This Happened At Sunset Geolocate - Tonto National Forest

Geolocate - MM 30

Shoefie GeolocateCastaway Geolocate

C’mon, Tom Hanks (& Castaway) fans. Where in the world is Wilson? If you leave a comment, I’ll send you all the answers.

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We Scour The World For Comedy Gold

As one of the many public services we here at dewconsulting.net provide, we scour the world for the finest Internet humor. Today we struck comedy gold.

 

We scour the world for comedy gold.
Hey, don’t blame me, I’m just the messenger!

 

A graphic artist living in Belgium works from home. His wife leaves their baby with him each day as she goes off to work. A few months ago, he got tired of her texting to check on how he was doing with the baby. So, he started photo-shopping responses to text back to her, and it has become a worldwide Instagram sensation. To see more of these hilarious and crafty works, check it out here.

 

Comedy Gold - wash

Comedy Gold - Curses!

 

Yep, comedy gold I tell you.

Favorite(s)?

 

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The Good Old Days

Back in the good old days when I first started this blog, I just took whatever History.com sent me in their daily email and plagiarized it verbatim as a “This Day In History” post. We’ve come a long way since then. But sometimes it’s good to revisit your roots. Today is one of those days. So, without further ado, here’s the link to a History.com story about O. Henry, which I’ll also reprint in its entirety below. Because what good is a surprise O. Henry ending without a good setup, eh?

 

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On this day in history, April 10, 1910, O. Henry’s second short story collection, The Four Million, is published. The collection includes one of his most beloved stories, “The Gift of the Magi.“ It’s about a poor but devoted couple who each sacrifice their most valuable possession to buy a gift for the other.

O. Henry was the pen name adopted by William Sydney Porter. Porter began writing in the late 1880s. But he applied himself to it seriously in 1898. That’s when he was jailed for embezzling from a bank in Austin, Texas. Porter, who came from a poor family in Texas, was married and had a daughter. He fled to Honduras to avoid imprisonment. But he returned to the U.S. when his wife was diagnosed with a terminal illness. He spent three years in jail. Meanwhile he wrote tales of adventure, some set in Honduras, to support his daughter. After his release, he moved to New York. There he was hired by New York World to write one story a week. He kept the job from 1903 to 1906.

In 1904, his first story collection, Cabbages and Kings, was published. Additional collections appeared in 1906 and 1907.  Two collections a year were published from 1908 until his death, in 1910. He specialized in closely observed tales of everyday people, often ending with an unexpected twist. Despite the enormous popularity of the nearly 300 stories he published, he led a difficult life, struggling with financial problems and alcoholism until his death.

 

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Hoo Boy. Some tale, eh? I guess the moral of the story is, if you’re hiring a bank clerk, don’t hire one who aspires to writing stories. Because just keeping accounts straight is never gonna be enough for the likes of an O. Henry. Or for me either for that matter. You been warned.

 

Good Old Days - Gift of the Magi

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First Rule Of Advertising

You know the first rule of advertising, right? No, it’s not “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Rather, the first rule of advertising is, “Dogs are man’s best friend.” For any generic good or service, add a canine into the mix and public approval will rise. Don’t believe me? Consider the following, from Merriam Webster: “14 words or phrases inspired by dogs.” Then tell me those pup pix ain’t cute. Go on. I dare ya. Oh, and extra credit if you can guess the dog-related word or phrase from each picture below before reading the article. A hint: The last one is “raining cats and dogs.” Got it? Ok then…. Ready…. Set….

Go!

 

First Rule of Advertising - Bulldog Edition First Rule of Advertising - Yellow Dog First Rule of Advertising - Dogwood First Rule of Advertising - Bone to Pick First Rule of Advertising - Hangdog First Rule of Advertising - Canine

 

C’mon yellow-dog Democrats, enough with the hang-dog look, finish your dog’s breakfast, get off your dog’s bench, put down that bulldog edition, open up and show us your canines, ya dang mutts.  How’d you do?  OK, I admit, how “caterpillar” wormed its way in there still mystifies me. And “dogwood” is bit of a stretch, doncha think? But, hey, it’s spring after all. And the derivation of “Canary Islands” (from “Canis,” the Latin for “dog”) is pretty darn interesting. As for the rest? Guess you’ll just have to click the link to find out.

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Intrepid Youth And A Subpar Parks Retrospective

One of the advantages to being parents of intrepid youth is that they send you photos when they visit National Parks. And you don’t even have to venture outside your own front door to enjoy the view. Another advantage is that you get to relive the Subpar Parks series as seen in a previous post, here. I didn’t feature the “Arches” one when I did that post last year, but maybe I should have. Below, an Arches excerpt from the Amber Share Instagram, the Utah license plate, and the real thing as captured by Rachel yesterday. Thanks a bunch, honey – sure hope you’re having a blast camping. Also thanks for sharing a view that inspired a classic one-star review.

 

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Welcome to Subpar Parks! I’m Amber Share, an illustrator and hand lettering artist. I love the outdoors, and I also love some good snark. So for the next 61 weeks, I’ll be sharing an illustration of each of America’s lovely national parks, along with a line from a real 1-star review of that park. Because apparently even mother nature is subject to the wrath of the internet 😆

 

Apparently license plates are our new standard for natural beauty.

 

Intrepid Youth - Utah license plate

The Real Thing - Intrepid Youth
The real thing.  Photo credit: RGW