True Story: When I lived in New York City, I worked for a small investment banking firm (I, um, took the Republican money they paid me and redirected it to liberal causes! :P). The gentleman I worked for owned a summer home in Maine. One day the phone rang...
Me: Good morning, Mr. Banker's office.
Caller: Hello, this is Joe Catter calling for Mr. Banker. I'm the cayahtaker for his cottage.
Me: One moment please, I'll see if he's available. [walks to doorway of Mr. Banker's office] Joe Catter is holding for you.
Mr. Banker: Who?
Me: Joe Catter, at your house up in Maine.
Mr Banker: Ohhh, you mean Joe CARTER!
[laughter]
THE END! :D
What brings this story to mind today? Read on!
Cheers and Jeers starts in There's Moreville [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
DISCLAIMER 1: virgomusic's Cheers & Jeers is but a pale simulacrum of the masterful daily oeuvre of our employee, Bill, who is currently enjoying umbrella-bedecked drinks and cabana-boy eye candy in warm and sunny climes. The bastard!!!
DISCLAIMER 2: I apologize to my West Coast peeps for posting so early -- I have to run out to an appointment at 9 EST. I'll be back just after 10 to pass out the mojo! :)
Cheers and Jeers for Monday, March 2, 2009
Note: Would whoever borrowed the Lexus for the weekend kindly fill the tank with gas and clean the barf and empty rum bottles out of the back seat? Thanks!
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By the Numbers:
Days until Oral Arguments for the Prop 8 Legal Challenge are heard by the California Supreme Court: 3
Days until the Vernal Equinox, a.k.a. the First Day of Spring: 18
Days until Easter: 41
Number of Marshmallow Peeps produced each year: 1.2 billion
Number of miles from Detroit to Boston: 717 if you go through Canada, 817 if you stay in the U.S.
What's with that last item, you might ask? Who cares how many miles it is from Detroit to Boston?
Well, McDoc and I do, because we'll be making the trip in June, when we move from the former to the latter!!
Cheers to new beginnings! McDoc has accepted a position in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency program at Tufts Medical Center. (What is Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation? I'm glad you asked!)
Cheers to meeeeem'ries! Our time in Detroit has been an adventure and a great learning experience, and we've made many good friends here, who we will miss. Happily, we have many good friends waiting for us in Boston... some of whom we have yet to meet! :)
Jeers to inflation. Of our rent, that is -- housing in Boston is ex-pen-sive!
Cheers to common ground. A friend here who grew up near Boston informs us that the climate there is pretty much identical to Detroit's, so the down parkas, wool sweaters and heavy boots we've bought will continue to serve us well.
Here's Ninja McDoc getting ready to brave the windchill back in January:
Further common ground: from the perspective of us accent-free Californian types, y'all talk funny! ;) Here are some pronunciation idiosyncrasies from our current and future hometowns:
Detroit: Parlez-vous français? Non, je ne parle pas français, motherf@#$er!
Some street names and their local butcherings versions:
Dequindre: de-KWIN-der
Livernois: LIV-er-noy
(and my personal favorite) Gratiot: GRASS-shit
Boston: Q-AH-S, T-U-V...
Worcester: WOO-stah
Woburn: WOO-buhn
Quincy: Quin-zy
That's okay, though -- I enjoy learning new languages! ;)
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Jeers to the news. Anyone else find it almost too depressing to keep up with lately?
Cheers to insightful punditry, though -- I was inspired by Obama's address to Congress last week, and thoroughly enjoyed the comic relief that was Bobby Jindal's response. But my favorite thing of all? Republican strategist Andrea Tantaros comparing Jindal's speech following Obama's to "the Rolling Stones opening for Air Supply." Whoa, I'm cheering a Republican strategist! The space-time continuum is wobbling a bit!
Cheers and/or Jeers to the heavy snow currently blanketing the Northeast. Personally, I've enjoyed this winter and haven't gotten tired of snow yet, but I don't blame anyone who says, "enough already!" Safe travels to those who are in the thick of it -- be careful out there!
Cheers to a battle plan for health care reform that might actually win this time. From yesterday's New York Times:
The National Coalition on Health Care was formed in 1990 to push for universal health care and is supported by a mix of business, labor, religious and health care organizations.
That list of backers is something -- dogs and cats living together! Speaking of which...
Puppy pic of the day: You've been warned!
And for the sake of equal time, Pootie pic of the day: Driving in Boston
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I asked McDoc to contribute some medical humor to the kiddie pool today, and the video below is what he found for us: How Many Doctors Does It Take To Change a Light Bulb? Enjoy! (I now have a strange urge to duct-tape my knees together -- don't know why...)
Lights are on -- what are you cheering and jeering today?