Framing the Dialogue

Lighter Side

…In Spamalot!

Here we are a full 10,000 spams since my last spam post…milestones!  I hope that you enjoy these interesting/weird messages I get with spam.  As long as spammers post silly spam I will share with you their insights, poor English, compliments, and their attempts to lure me into their porn sites.  This collection is the best(or worst) of the best from Akismet’s 10,000 caught spam since my last 5,000 caught spam and in order to  maintain my journalistic integrity, I don’t embellish or fix their spelling; that also makes it easier to make fun of them.  I got the title from this picture I found when “researching” my last spam post.  I love Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

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All By Himself

Click on the following to hear the music as you read.

Karaoke – All By Myself – edited

When I was young

I never needed anyone

Organizing was just for fun

Those days are gone

 

Now I’m the Prez

My future in D.C. looked bleak

I have already had my peak

Michelle’s still home

 

All by myself

Killed Osama bin, all by myself, all alone

All by myself

Forget those Navy SEALs, all by myself anymore

 

Had to be sure

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Harbingers of Spring – Burgh Style

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow this year thus predicting an early break to Winter’s stranglehold.  As I look outside my window, however, there is still snow on the ground in pockets and the temperatures are around 39 degrees…not quite spring.  As I travel around Pittsburgh the signs for spring are around…

 

Nothing says “spring” in the Burgh than the plethora of fish sandwiches offered by restaurants and the breaded, jumbo cod sandwich is a welcome sign.  It is amazing how many restaurants in town have the “best” fish sandwich.

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Hitchhikers Guide

As I drove through yet another snow storm and crappy roads I passed a guy walking along a bridge.  I see this guy nearly every day.  I tend to get to work early so I sit in my car and read the paper.  This guy usually walks by on his way to what I assume is his work.  I probably wouldn’t pay him much attention, but he wears a powder blue North Carolina University jacket and it is very noticeable.  I had thought that he must take a bus and walk from his bus stop to work on the island.  I work on an island that doesn’t have bus service.

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Ooh That Smell

I am often torn about posts like this.  My inspiration was a trip to the rest room at work and you can imagine what it may be about.  Since I really don’t know most of you or why you visit FramingTheDialogue I worry that these posts will drive you away.  At some point Framing will have multiple sites depending on the content; Framingthebooks will primarily be book reviews; Framingthedebate will be a forum for debates, Framingthedialogue will probably be mostly current events, and Framingthebizare will be for posts like this.  Unfortunately I don’t really have enough traffic to justify spending the amount of time necessary to keep that many sites current and work full-time.

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Three Words

“Disabled Vehicle Blocking”: This phrase struck me as I drove to work this morning.  I start early (7:00 am) and leave early to avoid backups.  When things are smooth I can get to work in about 30 minutes or less (sounds like Dominoes pizza) in the morning, but if I get a later start, even by 10 minutes, that can add 20 minutes to my commute.  Part of my morning routine is to listen for traffic conditions along my commuting route and I have come to believe that the news brief reads the same script each day depending on the time.  I have on numerous occasions been driving through the “congestion” as it was reported yet experienced none of the traffic described.  The phrase “disabled vehicle blocking” sends me in a panic as that can turn my 30 minute commute into a 90 minute commute.  This happened to me on my second day back to work after a layoff.  A vehicle broke down right where I turn off of the main thoroughfare.  When I finally crawled to the spot, the disabled vehicle had been moved to the side, however, a truck had run out of gas while stuck in traffic (they were filling it up as I went by) and still blocked one lane.  Unfortunately it does not matter on this stretch of road which side of the road the incident occurs as “rubber-neckers” back everything up the opposite direction. 

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Studio Wrestling

At the risk of sounding really old wrestling was different when I was growing up.  It was still scripted (AKA fake – alegedly), but it was less “steroidial,” fewer sweaty stares, no maniacal rants, and weird in a good way.  I grew up with Studio Wrestling and athletes named The Iron Sheik (a bad guy from the Middle East would cause CAIR to file a lawsuit today), Jumping Johnny DeFazio, Bobby “Hurricane” Hunt, Chief White Owl, Larry Zbyszko, George “the Animal” Steel, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Ivan Putski, Killer Kowalski, and Pittsburgh’s own Bruno Sammartino.  Bruno Sammartino was the ultimate good guy in professional wrestling and being from our home town, we all loved him and rooted for him and hated his many enemies on the canvas. 

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