Tuesday, July 23, 2013

In The Negative Hippo Pool...


...Say something positive for contrast

57 comments:

Sydney said...

Ever tried cold cap therapy?

Oncologists say that the number one question people ask them when they tell them they want to start chemotherapy is not "Will it cure me?" but "Will I lose my hair?"

They are doing a clinical trial now. You would think that wearing a cold hat would be a fairly low risk venture, but we Americans are always worried about potential risks.

chickelit said...

Is that what I think it is floating in the water?

chickelit said...

swimming actually, not floating on top.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

I should hit 1,000,000 hits today. That is positive. Thanks to those who put those hits there.

Lem, how about putting my on the blog roll? I blog rolled you.

And I promise not to Rick Roll you!

KCFleming said...

Today my wife helped a young woman working at a restaurant. The waitress was unfolding the table's umbrella when she saw a frog and became very upset, breathing fast, couldn't move.

My bride walked over to her, figured out the cause of distress and scooped up the frog from the folds of the umbrella.

Relief!

The girl was horrified that my wife handled the creature so calmly, but growing up along the Mississippi river forever demystified these amphibians.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Chick, you mean that string thing?

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Pogo, you wife is a good woman.

Anonymous said...

Chickie it at his best when he isn't a scorekeeper and is a Chirbit.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Your wife could have offered it to her to kiss saying: "You never know..."

The girl probably would not have gotten the joke at that moment.

chickelit said...

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...
Chick, you mean that string thing?

I meant the flagellum thing.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Say something positive for contrast

I love swimming, especially in deserted olympic size pools.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Chick: Everybody in the pool!

Patrick said...

On Friday, I mentioned that I spent the day in the ER with a knee problem and suspected blood clot. The test for the blood clot was negative, but they couldn't figure out the knee problem, so they drained it and sent me on my way. Of course, it just swelled up again. I went to an ortho yesterday and he re-drained it. The lab called yesterday with the final results: Lyme disease! The only symptom I had was the swelling. No rash, no fever/chills. They asked all the questions (I get in the woods regularly). At least I have an answer, and I can walk again.

KCFleming said...

My son had classic Lyme when working at a summer camp. The ER missed it, left undiagnosed until a primary care appointment a week later.

I'm glad they figured yours out. Lyme as the cause of single joint inflammatory arthritis is not typical, so easily missed.

Glad you're doing better!

KCFleming said...

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...
Your wife could have offered it to her to kiss saying: "You never know..."

I failed to mention that the frog was me.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Patrick said...
The lab called yesterday with the final results: Lyme disease!


One of my sons had this, classic ringed infection site. It is very treatable once detected.

Patrick said...

Thanks, Pogo.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of the positive -- yesterday I started watching "To Sir, With Love."

A while back I had been twiddling the YouTube dial, while doing some work, and ran across 10,000 Maniacs and Michale Stipe singing "To Sir, With Love" together. Stipe and Merchant looked good together and I love Merchant's peaches-and-cream contralto.

With songs like "What's the Matter here?" and "Hey Jack Kerouac" Merchant has always been a Gen-X throwback to the JFK sixties, so it fit that she would choose to sing "To Sir."

It's a song worth bringing back and the movie too. The young Sidney Poitier had such a glamorous, glowery presence. The cinemtography was surprisingly good -- when I saw the movie as a kid I didn't notice things like that. Even weirder, I discovered from wiki the movie was entirely a James Clavell project -- the "Shogun" guy.

But it was a kick in the head to see the incorrigible, streetkid students that were supposed to be scraping the bottom of the barrel and they seem like pussycats put alongside the comparable kids today.

Well, it was just a movie from the days when we thought an open heart and some thinking outside the box would solve tricky social problems.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

The girl was horrified that my wife handled the creature so calmly, but growing up along the Mississippi river forever demystified these amphibians.

I like frogs. They are kind of cute. They eat bugs, a big plus in my book.

At night, in the summer, we can hear them by the thousands or maybe millions, croaking and chirping their little hearts out, down in the river and wild rice checks below our house. The big booming voices of the bull frogs. The high pitched chirping. Trilling sounds. Then SUDDENLY silence, so you know that another animal, coyote or racoon must have passed by. Shush. They all say and are silent and motionless

The sounds are like those old vacuum assisted windshield wipers that start out all out of sync, and eventually get into sync for a few moments. Wipe wipe wipe together. The sounds of the frogs are the same. One moment it is a cacophony and the next for a brief amount of time they are all together. The same timing. It is also like when your breathing and the breathing of your spouse lying in bed next you come into sync and you are breathing in and out with the same breaths. Very comforting.

I always wonder how such fragile creatures can survive the sub zero winters that we have.

When I hear the frogs I know that all is right with the world.

Was that positive?

:-D

Joe Schmoe said...

Say something positive for contrast

I'm positive that I need a vacation!

Paddy O said...

Patrick, I can't exactly say congratulations, but I am glad they identified it. Mystery is not good when dealing with illnesses. Hopefully, the treatment works quickly and you're back at full strength again before too long.

edutcher said...

The Blonde is cool about spiders, but hates rodents.

deborah said...

Proton.

Chick, did you take that pic?

deborah said...

I like spiders, snakes, insects, rodents, etc., but what I loathe are slugs.

ad hoc said...

There is a marshy area in the park where I run and in the early morning you can hear the bull frogs; they are so distinctive and loud. It is a great sound.

sakredkow said...

You have to forgive everybody.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

It's mid-summer and we have tree frogs at night.

I like tree frogs.

Michael Haz said...

Chick, are you a swimmer? My knees no longer tolerate running and my back complains about bicycling, so I've tried swimming. And I am findings that I can't swim worth a dang. Utterly uncoordinated, and feeling a bit too embarrassed to ask a nice 19 year old instructor at the club for a lesson or two. Plus, the triathlon guys are like lightening bolts in the lane and get pissy when others get in their way.

Maybe I shouldn't be using kettle bells in the pool, I don't know.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Patrick, Lyme Disease is usually treatable if caught early. Treat it seriously. Zilla of the Resistance suffers terribly from it. Granted she has late stage, but she might be a good resource to contact on how to avoid going there.

I wish you the best and a speedy recovery.

Trooper York said...

In my part of Brooklyn there is a large influx of French douchebags. They came because of the French immersion classes taught at PS58's.

A poor frog wouldn't last two minutes in front of a French Joint on Smith St.

The poor bastard would be legless too sweet.

sakredkow said...

Patrick, glad you're doing better. Lyme disease is a little scary I hear.

rhhardin said...

Cavell on the frog prince.

How do we deal with the problem.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

When swimming through the hippo pool of life, it's nice to know there are brief moments of clarity.

chickelit said...

@deborah: My late father took that photo. I inherited the negative.

@Haz: I like to swim and feel very comfortable in the water--even lakes and rivers. I don't have a pool, but go to the ocean instead. Swimming is great exercise. Years and years ago when I lived in Cleveland, I swam laps in a pool. I had a swimmer's body then and three girlfriends.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Here is a post I did several years ago on my blog about swimming.

I love to swim and it was important in my life. I regret that we have no decent places to swim in my current life.

And now I must go do bookwork and get busy with business.

Unknown said...

Digital radiographs are very cool. Although you have to wipe old images from the cassette and apparently that process isn't foolproof. Luckily the object that appeared to be in a cat's abdomen the other day was bizarre enough that I knew it wasn't real, and deduced that we needed to reclean the cassettes.

Anonymous said...

When I hear the frogs I know that all is right with the world.

I grew up in Florida and there was an overgrown vacant lot next door, right next to my bedroom. After the early summer rainstorms, pools would form in the lot and soon the frogs would breed and the tads would hatch.

I remember many nights lying awake listening to the froggy din twenty yards away and feeling comforted.

ndspinelli said...

Ron Guidry would always make Cajun frog legs for Steinbrenner during Spring Training. Can't you just see that asshole wolfing down 30 or so.

Anonymous said...

Here's one for Lem: Mato Nanji and the Indigenous Band burning it up Jimi-style.

Nanji is a Native-American guitar god whom I only learned about last night from a friend. The band is his brother, sister and cousin. Great stuff.

I didn't realize how hungry I was to hear someone new really chop it up.

Joe Schmoe said...

ndspinelli, I was a young kid in Guidry's heyday, and I recall him having frog legs himself.

Damned good run in 1978 though.

ndspinelli said...

Joe, I was living in KC and a big Royals fan back then. He and Sparky Lyle killed the Royals. Brett killed the Yankees. Guidry was a beanpole.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

I could see Steinbrenner wolfing down 30 frogs so, not bothering with killing, cleaning or cooking them. Just because he liked the wiggle and squeak when he first munched them.

Anonymous said...

I'm often disappointed when I read song lyrics but these hold up:

To Sir With Love

Those schoolgirl days
Of telling tales, and biting nails, are gone
But in my mind,
I know they will still live on and on
But how do you thank someone
Who has taken you from crayons to perfume?
It isn't easy, but I'll try

If you wanted the sky,
I would write across the sky in letters,
That would soar a thousand feet high:
"To Sir, With Love"

Those awkward years
Have hurried by. Why did they fly away?
Why is it, Sir,
Children grow up to be people one day?
What takes the place of climbing trees,
And dirty knees in the world outside?
What is there for you I can buy?

If you wanted the world,
I'd surround it with walls. I'd scrawl
In letters ten feet tall:
"To Sir, With Love"

The time has come
For closing books; and long last looks must end
And as I leave,
I know that I am leaving my best friend
A friend who taught me right from wrong,
And weak from strong -- that's a lot to learn
What -- what can I give you in return?

If you wanted the moon,
I would try to make a start... but I
Would rather you let me give my heart
To Sir, With Love

-- Don Black, Mark London

Trooper York said...

If you want to read a great book about Ron Guidry, Yogi Berra and George you should pick up "Driving Mr. Yogi."

It is an account of the spring training games where Ron would pick up Yogi and they would live together during spring training. It speaks to the Yankee tradition and how they take care of their own.

Guidry drove and took care of his elder in the Yankee universe.

While in Red Sox Nation they cut off your head and stick it on a tuna fish can.

Just goes to show you.

ndspinelli said...

That is a good book. That's where I got the frog's legs story.

Joe Schmoe said...

Trooper, that was his family's doing, not the Red Sox. Ted's son John Henry was a strange duck. The Red Sox even went out of their way to honor one of Ted's last wishes by giving John Henry a spring-training tryout. (John Henry was as good a ballplayer as George Zimmerman was a fighter and athlete.)

I'll offer up a counter-book, so to speak: The Teammates by David Halberstam. Dom Dimaggio and Johnny Pesky take a road trip from Boston to Florida to visit Ted, who was dying. Great stories from guys who not only were great ballplayers but all WWII vets as well.

Patrick said...

Thanks for the good wishes folks.

Trooper York said...

I would read it Joe but my head would explode.

I have to admit I hate Johnny Pesky with the heat of a thousand suns. He is the ultimate Red Sox.

Trooper York said...

Hey maybe I will share with youse guys one of my old posts about the time Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Joe D and Marilyn all met up at Toots Shor's saloon.

Joe Schmoe said...

1978 was probably my first baseball memory. The radio call I remember most was not Bucky Dent's homer that secured the 1-game playoff between the Sox and Yanks, but later on when Yaz weakly popped out to end the game. He was my favorite player. With the unrealistic zeal a young boy has for his newfound sports heroes, I thought Yaz was going to save the day. When he didn't, I was crushed.

Joe Schmoe said...

Hey maybe I will share with youse guys one of my old posts about the time Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Joe D and Marilyn all met up at Toots Shor's saloon.

Please do.

Trooper York said...

TootShors Saloon June 25, 1960
(Ted Williams and Johnny Pesky walk in after a Yankee, Red Sox game)
Toots: Hey Ted howz ya doin kid. To bad the Yanks kicked your ass today.
Ted Williams: Fuck you, you stupid jewboy get us a fuckin’ table before I pound you.
Toots: How many times do I have to tell you I don’t like that kinda talk in here you ignorant meathead?
Ted Williams: What do I care you sheeny bastard. Just get me a table before I have my boy here give you a knuckle sandwich.
Johnny Pesky: Can I Ted, can I, I can do it Ted, I swear I can, let me at him, I’ll pulverize him.
Toots Shore: Shut up you midget fuck. Jeez why are all you Red Sox guys such assholes. Com’on there’s some people in the back you might want to say hello to!
(Toots walks them to the back where Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe are sitting. Joe is wearing 5 World Series rings. Marilyn is not wearing panties)
Toots: Joe look who’s here. It’s Ted and his shoe shine boy.
Joe DiMaggio:
Marilyn: (in a breathy sexy voice) Hi Ted. Nice to see you again. (She stands up and extends her hand shyly and shakes with Ted, she nods at Pesky)
Ted Williams: Nice to see you again doll. What are you doing with this lousy Dago! I thought you got a divorce and was married to that jew writer. Whaz da matter. He is a salami smoker or what? You could do better doll.
Johnny Pesky (hopping around like a Chihuahua with a chili pepper up its ass) Yes you could Miss Monroe, yes you could….Ted is the greatest…the best ballplayer in the world. There ain’t nobody as good as Teddy Ballgame.
Joe DiMaggio: (takes off one of his world series rings and starts to shine it with a napkin, he looks up and smiles)
Toots: Hey why do youse crumbums have to always start shit. Lets siddown and have a couple of pops.
Marilyn: That sounds like fun. (Marilyn sits down opposite Ted, and her legs are slightly open. She is not wearing any underwear. Ted does not notice and Marilyn pouts) So Ted you have a very large head do you know that? I love good head.
Toots Shor: Blleeaaaahhhh (spits out his drink he’s laughing so hard)
Marilyn: What’s so funny Toots? Why is he laughing so hard Joe?
Joe DiMaggio: (Joe just smiles and looks down at Marilyn’s twat which has been furiously queefing like a mallard in heat)
Toots Shor: Yeah come to think of it how come I never see you with any of the broads who hang around the ballplayers. Whaz-a-matter the Baseball Annies are too good for you, you putz.
Ted Williams: Thanks Marilyn. I like good head too. And you better shut up you dumb ass hebe before I wallop you one on that giant ugly head of yours.
Joe DiMaggio:Does your crazy mama not want her little boy to have any girl friends.
Johnny Pesky: You better shut up you no good wop fuck. Teddy loves the ladies. Just last night he went out on the town with his pal Rock Hudson and they banged a bunch of chicks. He’s a big time movie star. Him and Rock are best friends and go on double dates all the time. I mean they even banged Doris Day. At the same time. Theys was all in the bed at the same time. And she’s a real movie star! No offense Miss Monroe.
Marilyn: Hhnpphhh!!!! (her queefs get even louder, so loud that Pesky looks for where the sound is coming from)
Ted Williams: Is that a duck? And why do I smell tuna fish?
Johnny Pesky: (realizes when he doesn’t find a duck that is coming from under her skirt and whispers under his breath) She ain’t got any underwear on Ted, nothing I swear, look it looks like that Fidel Castro guy eating a piece of liver.
Marilyn: No wonder they call you Pesky. Joe they are starting to bore me.
Joe DiMaggio: (looks over to where Frankie Carbo is sitting with a few of the boys) Frankie?
Toots: Oh shit Joe, no trouble please. (Four of Carbos guys grab the two Red Sox players by the arms and give them the bums rush out the door)
Ted Williams: I get you for this you fucking wop bastard…you too you dirty hebe ……hey take it easy. I just got this suit from my mother at the Salvation Army.
Marilyn: Don’t hurt his head; it might be only thing he is going to have left someday. Hee.

Chip Ahoy said...

Julie Borowski is hilarious. I just now subscribed, accidentally, but then I thought, what the heck, a look at her videos and she's good. How to stop rape: wet pants, Piers Morgan, why does anyone need assault weapon? Hits all the points.

I guess that's the new thing at YouTube, linking videos to play in a string. You gotta get out while the gettin's good.

^^^ That right there is a Westernization that I picked up from liv'n here <<< just like that there. I'm being a chameleon over here.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Julie B. is hilarious.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Mocking the morons at MSDNC isn't really difficult. Like shooting fish in a barrel.

Joe Schmoe said...

Pretty good, Trooper. Pretty good.

Rock Hudson? C'mon. Everybody knows, even Yankee fans, that if Teddy had hung out with any movie star it would've been John Wayne. John Wayne would've been honored to play Teddy in a movie.

Trooper York said...

Yeah but Rock and Teddy Ballgame had a mutual love of hot dogs. So to speak.