TGIF - 20 March 2024

  

Greetings from the Friday guy in this Christian holiday of Good Friday. So, for some of you, your work week may already be over. In any case, I took some time to see if I had any material to share with you all and, in fact, I do. And since I’ve been under the weather this week (since Sunday night) I’ve been lazing around and now have some time to edit this message.

 

A week ago all the snow was gone from our yard. It’s been a very mild winter and I haven’t even had to snow blow my driveway many times (although my neighbor Barry has done that a few times when we were away). We have great neighbors! So, of course, last weekend good ole Mother Nature (she does have a sense of humor) dropped two feet of new snow on us. I sent a photo of all that snow to my kids (via text) and Phil sent me back my photo from a week ago where I happily announced that all the snow was gone. (He has a sense of humor, too!) For heaven’s sake, the tulips and the daffodils are trying to push up now and they got buried under 2 feet of the white stuff!

 

Last weekend I spent hours watching the NCAA men’s and women’s March Madness tournament games. They had them on 6 different channels and so my fingers got a lot of exercise working the remote to find a different game. It’s amazing how 4 different games can be on a commercial break at the same time! (The networks have a sense of humor too!) Did you know that back in the 1950s, the early years of TV, the different main networks (there were basically 3) had to time their respective commercial breaks to be at different times so that not everyone was flushing their toilets at the same time. Funny, but true! When I retired, I became a big fan of UCONN men’s, and especially women’s, basketball teams. The UCONN women have won 11 national titles and the men, at least 4 or more. Both of this years’ teams are in the final sixteen, although the men are defending champs and are picked to go to the final again this year. The women are about #10 in the country and will have to play really well to make it to the final four. But the South Carolina women are undefeated and will likely win it all. I think the UCONN men will take the men’s title.

 

Given my being under the weather this week, I decided to tackle a project that has been dormant since my retirement. That is sorting through all the photos I took between 1990 and 2009 that were in boxes in my basement since returning home. I am trying to organize them by a few categories and then only saving some of them and throwing most of them away. (I don’t even recognize many of the people in them anymore. My mom used to type little labels of who the people or places were; as well as the date and glue that info on the back of each one. Well, I wasn’t that organized.) Wish me luck!

 

I know, I know, let’s get on with some funny stuff.

 

A man goes into a bar in the airport and asks the bartender what the password is to their wi-fi.

Bartender: You need to buy a drink first.
Me: Okay, I’ll have a coke.
Bartender: Is Pepsi okay?
Me: Sure. How much is that?
Bartender: $3
Me: There you go. So, what’s the wi-fi password?
Bartender: You need to buy a drink first. No spaces, all lowercase.

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Potty Time


A little six year-old boy is sitting on the toilet. His mother thinks he has been in there too long, so she goes in to see what's up. The little boy is sitting on the toilet reading a book. But about every ten seconds or so he puts the book down, grips onto to the toilet seat with his left hand and hits himself on top of the head with his right hand. His mother says, “Billy, are you all right? You've been in here for a while…”

Billy says, “I'm fine, Mommy…i just haven't gone 'doody' yet."

Mother says, “Okay, you can stay here a few more minutes. But, Billy, why are you hitting yourself on the head?"

Billy says, “Works for ketchup."

 

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That’s BULL!!!

Three bulls heard the rancher was bringing another bull onto the ranch. 

 

First Bull: "I've been here five years. I'm not giving this new bull any of my 100 cows." 

 

Second Bull: "I've been here three years and have earned my right to 50 cows. I'm keeping all my cows." 

 

Third Bull: "I've only been here a year, and so far, you guys have only let me have 10 cows. I may not be as big as you fellows, but I'm keeping all 10 of my cows." 

 

Just then an 18-wheeler pulls up in the pasture carrying the biggest bull they've ever seen. At 4,700 pounds, each step he takes strains the steel ramp. 

 

First Bull: "Ahhhh... actually I think I can spare a few cows for our new friend." 

 

Second Bull: "I.. I have too many cows to take care of. I can spare a few." 

 

They look over at the third bull and find him pawing the dirt, shaking his horns and snorting. 

 

First Bull: "Son, don't be foolish - let him have some of your cows and live to tell about it." 

 

Third Bull: "Hell, he can have all my cows. I'm just making sure he knows I'm a BULL."

 

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“I Cannot Lie!

 

A priest, a rabbi and a Buddhist monk get arrested for illegal gambling. They get in front of the judge. He starts questioning the priest first, "Did you play poker yesterday?" The priest mumbles a quick 'Lord forgive me' and answered "No." The judge turns to the rabbi and asks him, "Did you play poker yesterday?" The rabbi crosses his fingers behind his back and answers a clear "No." Finally the judge turns to the Buddhist monk and tells him, "So you are a Buddhist monk, I know for a fact that you are absolutely forbidden to lie to me! Did YOU play poker yesterday?" The monk looks at the priest, then at the rabbi. He smiles at the judge and asks "How could I possibly play poker all by myself ?”

 

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Hooters

 

A nun, badly needing to use the restroom, walked into a local Hooters. The place was hopping with music and loud conversation and every once in a while the lights would turn off. Each time the lights would go out, the place would erupt into cheers. But when the revelers saw the nun, the room went dead silent. 

 

She walked up to the bartender, and asked, "May I please use the restroom? 

 

The bartender replied, “OK, but I should warn you that there is a statue of a naked man in there wearing only a fig leaf.” 

 

“Well, in that case, I’ll just look the other way,” said the nun. 

 

So the bartender showed the nun to the back of the restaurant. After a few minutes, she came back out, and the whole place stopped just long enough to give the nun a loud round of applause! 

 

She went to the bartender and said, “Sir, I don’t understand. Why did they applaud for me just because I went to the restroom?” 

 

“Well, now they know you’re one of us,” said the bartender, “Would you like a drink?” 

 

“No thank you, but, I still don’t understand,” said the puzzled nun. 

 

“You see,” laughed the bartender, "every time someone lifts the fig leaf on that statue, the lights go out. Now, how about that drink?"

 

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Dad?

 

One day Jesus decided to stroll down to the Pearly Gates. No sooner did he get there than St. Peter exclaimed, “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here, I need to go to the bathroom bad! Watch the Gates for me, will you?”

“But what am I supposed to do if someone comes?” Jesus asked.

“Have them fill out the intake sheet,” Peter said, pointing to his lectern. “I gotta run — ‘bye!”

“But —“ Jesus said, too late; Peter was out of earshot. Jesus was studying the intake sheet when he saw an old man tentatively approaching the Gates. “Welcome to Heaven, sir!” he said.

The old man stared. “Heaven — is it true? I’m in heaven?” he whispered. When Jesus nodded, the old man dropped to his knees and said, “Oh, how wonderful! Maybe now I can finally find my son!”

Jesus helped him to his feet and said, “I’ll be happy to let you in, but first I need to get some information from you so we know where to put you. Now, while you were on earth, what did you do for a living?”

“I was a carpenter,” the old man replied.

Jesus was struck by the coincidence, but made a note on the intake sheet and moved on to the next question. “About your family — you say you have, or had, a son, and you believe he’s here already, is that correct?”

“Well, I don’t know for sure,” the old man said. “We went our separate ways a long time ago, and I heard that he died. But he was a very good son, so I know that if he died, he’ll be here.”

Moved with pity for the old man, Jesus replied, “If he is here, we’ll certainly help you find him. Can you give us a description of him?” To which the old man replied, “Oh, he’ll be easy for you to recognize: he has nail holes in his hands and feet.”

Carpenter, good man, separated from family, nail holes — Jesus stared at the old man, dropped his pen and paper, thrust out his hands, and cried, “Papa!!!”

And the old man, tears in his own eyes, thrust out his hands and cried, “Pinocchio!!!”

 

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And here’s another one about St. Peter and the Pearly Gates of Heaven:

 

A wealthy man died and went to heaven. He was met at the Pearly Gates by Saint Peter, who welcomed him warmly and told him he will be taken to his forever heavenly dwelling. He then led him down the streets of gold. They passed castle after fantastic castle, then huge mansion after mansion, then beautiful cottages, until they came to the very end of the street and Saint Peter stopped the rich man in front of a little wooden shack that looks like its about to fall down. “Welcome Home.” said Saint Peter. 



“Why do I get this ugly thing when there are so many mansions I could live in?” the man demanded. 



“We did the best we could with the money you sent us!” Saint Peter replied.

 

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Need Some Good Advice?

 

A man sitting at a bar after work shares with the bartender why he is looking so stressed, “I’m not sleeping well. I have nightmares about a monster under my bed and I am too embarrassed to seek help.” 

 

A patron nearby overhears this and introduces himself, “I overheard your story and I am a psychiatrist. Maybe I can help. The first thing is you recognize these are only dreams, and that is obvious so I should be able to help you in a few sessions. Here’s my card, give me a call.” 

 

A few weeks pass and the same two are once again at the bar after work. The psychiatrist says to the other guy, “Hi, how goes the nightmares? I never heard from you so I hope you are doing okay.” 

 

The other guy says, “things are great, the bartender helped me.” 

 

Psychiatrist, “the bartender helped you? You needed a trained professional to help you, what possibly could a bartender do that a psychiatrist couldn’t?”

 

The other guy says, “he told me to saw the legs off my bed.”

 

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I Wanna Divorce

 

A Polish man married an American girl, and though his English wasn't very good, they got along very well. One day he rushes into a lawyer's office and asks him to arrange a divorce for him. 


The lawyer says that getting a divorce would depend on the circumstances, and asks him the following questions: "Have you any grounds?" 


"Yes, an acre and half and nice little home." 

 

"No, I mean what is the foundation of this case?" "It made of concrete." 

 

"I don't think you understand. Does either of you have a real grudge?" 

 

"No, we have carport, and not need one." "I mean what are your relations like?" 

 

"All my relations still in Poland."

 

 "Is there any infidelity in your marriage?" 

 

"We have hi-fidelity stereo and good DVD player." 

 

"Does your wife beat you up?" 

 

"No, I always up before her." 

 

"Why do you want this divorce?" 

 

"She going to kill me." 

"What makes you think that??" 

 

"I got proof." 

 

"What kind of proof?" 

 

"She going to poison me. She buy a bottle at drugstore and put on shelf in bathroom. I can read English pretty good, and it say: POLISH REMOVER."

 

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It’s time for the TGIF Golden Classic

 

Two statues, a male and female, stood in Central Park for 50 years. One day a fairy came along and granted them 24 hours to be human. POOF!! Off they dashed into the bushes!!!

There’s a lot of brush shaking and grunting and huffing!!! Six hours later the male comes out. “Phew, I’m getting tired!” The female says, “Hey, we’ve only got 18 hours, get back in here and handle business!”

So, off he goes again and there’s bushes shaking, dirt flying, huffing, puffing and screaming going on. 12 hours later, the male comes crawling out, grabbing dirt and can no longer stand! “I just can’t go anymore, you’re killing me!” The female says, “Look, be a man! We’ve only 6 hours left and we’re back on that perch forever!”

The male, looks up at the perch, looks back at the female, wipes his brow, looks up again, and back. Then he says, “Alright, but this time, I’LL hold the pigeons and YOU sh-t on them!”

 

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Well, I now have a question for you all: How many of the above jokes did you send me?

 

There is only one person who can answer that correctly, since she sent me all the material that I have used today! So, thanks to Debba you get to enjoy a little humor on this Good Friday. (The rest of you slackers better shape up soon!)

 

Ramadan is ongoing (about 10 days left) and Easter is this Sunday and Passover is next week.

So, for now, I’ll wish you a Happy Easter!


And a happy birthday wish to Maddy, today!

 

The big solar eclipse is also approaching, also in about 10 days. Excitement is building around here. Let’s hope it’s NOT a cloudy and rainy day!

 

Until the next time, take care!

 

TGI-Jeff

TGIF - 15 March 2024

  

Greetings from yours truly on this Friday, the “Ides of March”. Apparently, in the years before the modern calendar, when months (a word from “moon”) were determined by the moon, the ides of the month was the day of the full moon. (I think I got that right, but, if not, let me know!) Not so this time. The Islamic month of Ramadan has just begun with the sighting of the crescent moon over the weekend. And this “moon month” will end will a full solar eclipse that will be seen in totality in a line from the Mexico/Texas border across the Midwest up through northern Vermont and southeastern Canada on April 8th. Dianne and I are shopping for those solar glasses that will protect us from eye damage. I’m trying to convince her that we should drive up to the area of totality. But, thousands of other people probably have the same idea. So, I’m not so sure.

 

Some of you scoffed at my suggestion in last week’s issue that you get up at 2 am on Sunday morning and move your clocks forward to 3 am. One of my good friends emailed me that he moved his clock forward an hour when he went to bed and then missed his tee time on Sunday morning because he was in England, and they didn’t move to Daylight Savings Time last weekend. You just can’t win, can you!!!  I am beginning to think that we should all do like Arizona and just keep the same time all year. In fact, I learned the other day that the day after the Spring time change is “National Nap Day”.  You heard about the two pilots on the airline last week that fell asleep for a while and the plane drifted off course. See? This time change isn’t really working. I doubt that we’re saving much energy from it anymore. It just seems to cause more and more problems.

 

Well, it continues to be one of the warmest winters on record. We’ve had sun and high temperatures all week (like 20 to 30 degrees F higher than average). Dianne and I visited a sugar house last week, as they were boiling the new sap down. Normally, they used to start this process at the end of March, when the nights were still cold and the days warmer (which generates the flow of the sap). For the last several years, they have begun in February. I even heard on the radio (Vermont Public, of course) that some areas of Vermont started in December and January.

 

Not much family news to report this time. I am looking forward to the Taft-Dick gathering in San Diego for a week near the end of April. And in August, there will be the every other year Taft family reunion in Shrewsbury Vermont that I always look forward to.

 

I’m starting to scrape the bottom of the tgif barrel. I need more contributions. I get a lot of stuff on pdf files and such, which I cannot just “cut and paste” like I can with normal stuff. I also get cartoons, and posters and other stuff. If you really want me to use what you send, try to put it into a format that I can easily use. I’m not going to spend my Thursday nights typing out stuff that isn’t.

 

Let’s start off with a very touching account of a woman giving the eulogy at her husband’s funeral:

 

The Wife’s Eulogy

 

A wife's eulogy at her husband's funeral: "Norman needed a blood transfusion, but his blood type was not on record, so the doctors asked me if I knew what it was.   They urgently needed to know, to save Norman's life.  Tragically, I had never known his blood type, so I only had time to sit and say goodbye.  I'll never forget how supportive my Norman was.  Even as he was fading away, he kept on whispering to me, "Be positive, be positive!" That was my Norman!  Always thinking of others."

 

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What Is Important

 

The first testicular guard, the “cup”, was initially used in ice hockey in 1874. The first helmet was used in the NHL in 1974.

 

That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain was also important.

 

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Brewmaster Convention

 

There was a convention for brewers, and brewmasters from around the world attended.  At the end of the convention, a few of the brew masters headed to a local tavern together.  The bartender came around to take their orders.

The first to order was the brew master from Budweiser.  He tells the bartender, “I’ll have the king of beers! One Budweiser please.”

The second was the brew master from Coors.  He tells the bartender, “I’ll have the only beer brewed with pure Rocky Mountain spring water! One Coors please.”

The third was the brew master from Miller.  He tells the bartender, “I’ll have the champagne of beers!” One Miller please.”

The fourth was the brew master from Guinness.  He tells the bartender, “I’ll have a Coke”.

The other brew masters look at him astonished.  “Aren’t you going to order a Guinness?” one asked.

The brew master from Guinness replies, “I figured if none of you were going to drink beer, I wouldn’t either.”

 

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Gotcha!

 

A man returning home a day early from a business trip got into a taxi at the airport. It was after midnight. While en route to his home, he asked the cabby if he would be a witness. The man suspected his wife was having an affair and he intended to catch her in the act. For $100, the cabby agreed. 

 

Quietly arriving at the house, the husband and cabby tiptoed into the bedroom. The husband switched on the lights, yanked the blanket back and there was his wife in bed with another man. The husband put a gun to the naked man's head. 

 

The wife shouted: "Don't do it! This man has been very generous! I lied when I told you I inherited money. He paid for the Corvette I bought for you. He paid for our new cabin cruiser. He paid for our house at the lake. He paid for our country club membership, and he even pays the monthly dues!" 

 

Shaking his head from side-to-side the husband slowly lowered the gun. He looked over at the cab driver and said, "what would you do?" 

 

The cabby said, "I'd cover his a** up with that blanket before he catches a cold."

 

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Your Yearly Dementia Test

Yep, it's that time of year again for us to take our annual senior citizen test.

 Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles.

As we grow older, it’s important to keep mentally alert.

If you don’t use it, you will lose it!!!

 Here is a very private way to gauge how your memory compares to your last test.

Some may think it is too easy, but the ones with memory problems may have difficulty.

Take this test to determine if you’re losing it or not.

 

The spaces below are so you don’t see the answers until you’ve answered.

 

OK, RELAX, clear your mind and begin.

 

 

 #1. What do you put in a toaster?

 

 

 

 

Answer: 'bread.' If you said 'toast', just give up now and go do something else.

 

And, try not to hurt yourself.   If you said, bread, go to Question #2.

 

 

# 2. Say 'silk' ten times. Now spell 'silk.' What do cows drink?

 

  

 

 

Answer: Cows drink water. If you said 'milk,' don't attempt the next question.

 

Your brain is already over-stressed and may even overheat.

 

Content yourself with reading more appropriate literature such as Women's Weekly or Auto World.

 

However, if you did say 'water', proceed to Question #3.

 

# 3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a greenhouse made from?

 

 

Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass.

 

If you said 'green bricks', why are you still reading this???  PLEASE, go lie down!

 

But, if you said 'glass,' go on to Question #4.

 

# 4. Please do not use a calculator for this for it would be cheating:

 

You are driving a bus from New York City to Philadelphia.

In Staten Island, 17 people got on the bus.

 

In New Brunswick, 6 people get off the bus and 9 people get on.

 

In Windsor, 2 people get off and 4 get on.

 

In Trenton, 11 people get off and 16 people get on.

 

In Bristol, 3 people get off and 5 people get on.

 

And, in Camden, 6 people get off and 3 get on.

 

You then arrive at Philadelphia Station.

 

Without going back to review, how old is the bus driver?  

 

Answer: Oh, for crying out loud!

  

Don't you remember your own age?!?! It was YOU driving the bus!

 

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Breast Fed or Bottle Fed?

 

A woman and a baby were in the doctor's examining room waiting for the doctor to come in for the baby's first exam. 

 

Finally, the doctor arrived, examined the baby, checked his weight, and being a little concerned, asked if the baby was breast-fed or bottle-fed. 

 

"Breast-fed," she replied. 

 

"Well! We'll have to check you out. Alright then, strip down to your waist," the doctor ordered. 

 

She undressed and the doctor began his exam. He pinched her nipples, then pressed, kneaded, and rubbed both breasts for a while in a detailed examination. He frowned, then continued squeezing and pressing for a few more minutes. 

 

Motioning to her to get dressed, he said, "No wonder this baby is underweight - you don't have any milk!" 

 

"I know," she said. "I'm his Grandma; but I'm certainly glad I came."

 

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It’s time for the TGIF Golden Classic

 

Fascinate

 

The teacher asked the class to use the word “fascinate” in a sentence.

Molly put up her hand and said,

“My family went to my granddad’s farm, and we all saw his pet sheep. It was fascinating.”

The teacher said,

“That was good, but I wanted you to use the word ‘fascinate,’ not ‘fascinating’.”

Sally raised her hand. She said,

“My family went to see Rock City and I was fascinated.”

The teacher said,

“Well, that was good Sally, but I wanted you to use the word ‘fascinate’.”

Little Johnny raised his hand, but the teacher hesitated because she had been burned by Little Johnny before.

She finally decided there was no way he could damage the word “fascinate,” so she called on him.

Johnny said, “My aunt Carolyn has a sweater with ten buttons, but her tits are so big she can only fasten eight!”

The teacher sat down and cried.

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March Madness is approaching. That is the time of the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament. But also the women. I’ve been following both the UCONN men’s and women’s teams and will be routing them in in this next 3 weeks. The Big East tournament is on now in Madison Square Garden where UCONN will play St. Johns tonight and Providence will probably play Marquette. I’d like to see the UCONN men go all the way again this year. Their women will not likely make it to the Final Four but still have a good team that is always fun to watch.

I guess that’s all for now. Have a fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend! Let’s see if I can keep this streak going. But it all depends on you all!

TGI-Jeff