Saturday, February 21, 2015

The Idler Thursday, February 12, 2015

In the ignition

DRAMA in the US, where some people actually do leave their car 

keys in the ignition, and from whence comes this account.

A woman and her husband had always disagreed over this. She 

felt the ignition was the safest place. He said that was asking for 

the car to be stolen.

Came the fateful day when, after a meeting, she could not find her 

car keys. 

"They were not in my pockets. A quick search in the meeting room

revealed nothing. Suddenly I realised I must have left them in the 

car. Frantically, I headed for the car park.

"My husband has scolded me many times for leaving the keys in 

the ignition. Then as I scanned the car park I came to a terrifying 

conclusion. His theory was right. The car park was empty.

"I immediately called the police. I gave them my location, 

confessed that I had left my keys in the car, and that it had been 

stolen. Then I made the most difficult call of all.

"Hello My Love." (I always call him "My Love" in times

like these. "I left my keys in the car, and it's been stolen."

"Silence. I thought the call had disconnected. But then he 

barked: 'I dropped you off!'

"It was my time to be silent. Embarrassed, I said: 'Well, come and

get me.'

"He said: 'I will, as soon as I can convince this policeman I haven't 

stolen your damn car!'"

Oh boy!

Newcastle

THE above recalls the local case of a fellow who was Mayor of 

Newcastle and an enthusiastic member of the Naval Association, 

which used to meet in Maritzburg.

After a most convivial Naval Association dinner, he went to where 

he'd parked his car. It was gone. He was not far from the police 

station so he went inside and reported the theft.

Somebody gave him a lift to where he was staying overnight. Next 

morning he woke from a refreshing sleep, to recall that in fact he'd 

parked his car somewhere entirely different. Sure enough, there it 

was, safe and sound. He got in and headed back to Newcastle.

About Mooi River he was stopped in a police roadblock and 

arrested for being in possession of a stolen vehicle.

"But I'm the Mayor of Newcastle!"

"And I'm Father Christmas! Get in the van!"

Involvement in local government can be most demanding.

Guinea pig

PALAENTOLOGISTS in England have discovered the fossilised remains of a 

giant guinea pig that lived about three million years ago. It weighed more than a 

ton, was the size of a buffalo and would have had a bite as strong as a tiger's.

I wonder. If you picked it up by its tail, would its eyes have dropped out?

Computer chat

A DIALOGUE follows, which fully captures the spirit of our times:

Windows: Please enter your new password.

User: cabbage

Windows: Sorry, the password must be more than 8 characters.

User: boiled cabbage

Windows: Sorry, the password must contain 1 numerical character.

User: 1 boiled cabbage

Windows: Sorry, the password cannot have blank spaces.

User: 50bloodyboiledcabbages

Windows: Sorry, the password must contain at least one upper 

case

character.

User: 50BLOODYboiledcabbages

Windows: Sorry, the password cannot use more than one upper 

case

character consecutively

User: 50BloodyBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourAssIfYouDon't

 GiveMeAccessNow!

Windows: Sorry, the password cannot contain punctuation.

User: 50BloodyBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourAssIfYou

 DontGiveMeAccessRightNow

Windows: Sorry, that password is already in use.

Romance

DISHY Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi has accepted a marriage proposal delivered by drone. 

She was celebrating her birthday when the white unmanned aircraft flew towards her.

Boyfriend Wang Feng, a rock singer and composer, retrieved an engagement 

ring from inside the drone, got down on one knee and popped the question.

Zhang said "Yes!" The newly engaged couple kissed and embraced as the night 

sky lit up with fireworks.

Things have picked up somewhat in China since the days of Chairman Mao.

.

Tailpiece

IT'S pelting with rain and a deep puddle has formed outside the 

Irish pub. An old man is standing there in the rain, holding a stick 

with a piece of string on it, jiggling the string in the water.

"What are you doing?" asks a passer-by.

"Fishin'."

"Come inside and I'll get you a drink."

"Ah, tank yez!"

They're standing at the bar with whiskeys.

"And how many have you caught?"

"Eight now, including yezelf."

Last word

Creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.

– Albert Einstein

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