Thought for the day:Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetence. [Robert J. Hanlon]
Whether attributed to incompetence, laziness, or some other reason, we humans do tend to screw up at times. (Um, not you or me, of course...those other human...)
Some years ago, Kyle, a ham radio pal, sent me a bunch of pictures, which he thought I might like to use on a blog post someday.
Someday is finally here!
They were originally part of a funny meme called One Job. (As in, you had one job... and you managed to screw it up, you numbskull.)
So thanks, Kyle, for making my post such an easy one today. I hope the rest of you guys get a few chuckles from it.
Well... it's kinda near midfield.
Much lower in fat content than most bacon.
Not sure, but I think a Mack truck could squeeze past that barrier.
Um... I got nothing. I could maybe see someone screwing this up once... but every time???
Nope, orange isn't the new black. Teal is.
Get yourself together, woman!
I guess up is the new down?
Kinda defeats the purpose of having a booth, wouldn't you say?
Um, maybe they didn't know his name...?
Well, it is patched...
Nothing like a nice refreshing orange soda.
I've heard yellow watermelon is sweeter than red.
What's a little ar between friends?
Just not on this water
So don't park there! You've gotta leave plenty of room for the frietrucks.
Maybe he was trying to make his job more interesting by infusing a bit of creativity?
You know... that's the country over there in Aisa.
What came first... the arrow or the light pole?
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled paper.
Well, that's a bit graphic, but I reckon it would work.
Th-th-th-at's all, folks! And again, a huge thank you to Kyle.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.
Thought for the day: We are eagles of one nest... the nest is in our soul. [Led Zeppelin]
[image courtesy of unsplash]
Eagles are majestic creatures. The kings and queens of the skies, you might say. With their immense wingspans, they have the ability to soar high, and their high-flying maneuvers... from the mighty flaps of their wings,... to the graceful glides on the air... to the sudden wing-back swoops to the ground... are all magnificent things to behold.
We, too, have the ability to soar high, but like reluctant eagles, we sometimes give up or lose our desire to fly. I've told the following story before, which is loosely based on a James Agreey story, The Parable of the Eagle, but in support of the post I want to write today, it begs to be repeated:
[image courtesy of Morguefile]
While traipsing through the woods one day, a farmer happened upon a lone eaglet perched on a fallen log. He scooped up the young bird, carried it home, and put it in the barnyard with his chickens. Before long, the young eagle was walking and clucking like a chicken and pecking at the chicken feed on the ground.
When the farmer's friend, a Native American named Joseph, stopped by the farm one day, he was appalled to find the majestic eagle in the barnyard scratching in the dirt like a common chicken. With a laugh, the farmer said the bird had been raised like a chicken and never taught to fly, so he was now more chicken than eagle. Joseph insisted the bird still had the heart of an eagle, and he could... and should... be taught to fly, so the farmer agreed to let his friend try.
Joseph picked up the eagle, and said, "You're meant to be the king of the sky. Stretch forth your wings and fly!"
But the timid eagle looked at his chicken friends pecking corn from the ground and jumped down to join them.
The next day, Joseph tried again. This time, he took the eagle up to the roof, and again, he said,"You're an eagle, the king of the skies. Stretch forth your wings and fly!"
And once again, the frightened bird returned to the safety of the chicken yard.
The third day, Joseph carried the bird to a nearby mountaintop, held it high above him, and said, "You are an eagle, the king of the skies. Spread forth your wings, and fly!"
Hesitant at first, the bird looked back toward the farm, back toward the only life he knew. Then he trembled, stretched his mighty wings, and with a triumphant cry, soared into the sky.
It's possible the eagle sometimes misses the chickens; he may even visit the barnyard once in a while for old time's sake. But as far as anyone knows, he's still living life as an eagle, the king of the skies... just as all eagles were meant to do.
*****
It's easier to hang around in the barnyard, because the prospect of stretching our wings can be very frightening, but we should never let someone else define our capabilities. Why let someone else's doubts stop you from trying? By the same token, there are a lot of things happening in the world today that might make you want to hide in the barnyard... or stay in bed with the covers pulled over your head. It seems like every day, there is something else in the news that's discouraging and disheartening. Nothing but one dark storm after another...
Are you hiding from those storms?
[image courtesy of unsplash]
[image courtesy of unsplash]
One of the many interesting things about eagles: they don't hide from storms. Nope, they don't fly straight into them, either. They're much smarter than that.
They fly above them. Up above the storm... above the clouds... to find clear blue skies and wind currents that can carry them effortlessly through the air.
All birds find shelter during a rain, but the eagle avoids rain by flying above the clouds. Problems are common, but attitude makes the difference. [Abdul Kalam]
An eagle uses the negative energy of of a storm to fly even higher [Eric Thomas]
Flap the wings of inner strength to fly above the clouds of a storm. Cry not if left alone. Like an eagle, you are strong. [Vandana Saini]
I get it. I'll confess to feeling occasional angst over the state of the world today, but we must give ourselves permission to soar above those feelings. Wallowing in discouraged sadness... in the dirt of the barnyard... won't help anyone or change anything. We may not be able to change the entire world, but we can certainly do our best to make a difference right where we are. We can't single-handedly stop all hateful behavior in the world... but we can certainly devote ourselves to being kind in our everyday lives. A simple act of kindness may be just the boost another person needs to soar above the clouds.
[image courtesy of unsplash]
I've often defined myself as a pathological optimist, but that doesn't mean it's always easy.
There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud. [Carl Sandburg]
It has to be a conscious decision. I have to fight my inner hippo... and occasionally have a diet soda with my cheeseburger.
You can't soar like an eagle when you hang around with turkeys. [author unknown]
When the storms of life gather darkly ahead, I think of those wonderful words I once read. And I say to myself as threatening clouds hover, Don't fold up your wings and run for cover. But like the eagle, spread wide your wings And soar far above the troubles life brings. For the eagle knows that the higher he flies, The more tranquil and brighter become the skies. And there is nothing in life God ever asks us to bear That we can't soar above on the wings of prayer. And in looking back over the storm you passed through, You'll find you gained strength and new courage, too, For in facing life's storms with an eagle's wings, You can fly far above earth's small petty things.
[Helen Steiner Rice]
Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely. [Roy T. Bennett]
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. [Maya Angelou]
Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.
Thought for the day: MGsdon'tleak oil; they mark their places.
Dontcha love the front of this car? If I were more clever, I'd doctor the picture to make it look even more like a smiling face. No matter. When Smarticus and I went to the British Car Fayre in our town last weekend, we saw plenty of real smiling faces. And plenty of extraordinary British cars, too.
For those of you who have never had the pleasure of owning a British car, but want to know what it's like: Next big rainstorm, wait 'til dark, roll down all the windows, leave off lights and heater and wipers, and go for a drive. Stop at every intersection and throw out a twenty dollar bill. It's not exactly the same, but it's real close. [Mike Nash]
We evidently have plenty of anglophiles and UK ex-pats living in our area, because this annual car show, sponsored in part by the loverly Taste of Britain always draws a fine array of vehicles and visitors. Lots of Triumphs, Rolls Royces, MGs, Morgans, Austin Healies, Astin Martins, Lotuses, Minis, Range Rovers, Deloreans, Jaguars, motorcycles, and more. A bunch of drool-worthy vehicles. Alas, we didn't stay as long this year as we have in years past, because it was too bloody H-O-T!
But the Queen looked cool as a proverbial cucumber. I, on the other hand, felt like I was having a heat stroke. (Such a wimp!)
One street was pretty well lined with Minis. Some of them are reeeeally... mini. You hear the one about the trouble with bucket seats is we don't all have the same size buckets? Well, I know some people who'd have a hard time fitting their impressive buckets into some of these Minis. Pulling them out of one of these cars would sound like a champagne cork popping.
There were quite a few Land Rovers, too. These two cracked me up. One for Dad... and one for Junior.
Hey, you never can tell when you might have an opportunity to go on safari in Atlanta. Heck, everyone knows the traffic here is like a jungle, and some of the drivers are real... beasts.
Aye, and there were bonnie brogues to be heard, and evidence of a wee bit of Scottish humor.
(The patch on that hat says Gleneagle, Scotland.)
Check out this 1933 Rolls Royce. Its owner had a good sense of humor, too. Know how I could tell? By what I saw sitting in the back seat...
Pardon me, but do you have any Grey Poupon? Evi-doggone-dently!
How about this one? Anybody see the movie featuring this car?
Bond, James Bond...
Wouldn't this hood ornament be absolutely perfect for our rat rod? I mean, Smarticus and I do practice a certain amount of smart assiness from time to time.
Because of the heat, I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, so how's about if I share a few from past years:
Alas, there was no bagpiper there this year. Not that it's my favorite (or favourite) instrument, but I missed seeing... and hearing... him.
A fun touch of whimsy.
It'd be a hard call, but this was definitely one of my favourite cars at the show. In the proper colour, too...
But I do love the British racing green, too.
They don't call these the dog days of summer for nothing.
Until next time, take care of yourselves, old beans. And each other.
Maybe he was trying to make his job more interesting by infusing a bit of creativity?
