What Made You Smile Today?

[Doctor Hmmm?]

You know the drill.

[Richard Willis]

In 1968 I was stationed in Northern Virginia, a short ride from DC. Back then you just had to show up at the gate to go on the White House tour. I didn't have to wait at all. I'm sure somebody was "eyeballing" the visitors for suspicious behavior, but there was nothing overt.

[ClarkKent_DC]

In 1968 I was stationed in Northern Virginia, a short ride from DC. Back then you just had to show up at the gate to go on the White House tour. I didn't have to wait at all. I'm sure somebody was "eyeballing" the visitors for suspicious behavior, but there was nothing overt.

That was then, before Oklahoma City, when traffic was still allowed on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House and on E Street on the south side. Now you go through a gate, enter a tent where your ID is checked, go to a second tent where your ID is checked again, go to a trailer where you stand in front of a machine whose purpose is unexplained (I guess it's to detect the presence of chemicals, but nobody ever said), go to another trailer where there's a metal detector -- and then go in.

I still marvel at the ninja SWAT team I saw on a previous tour. Last year, I went on a White House holiday tour with family and friends, and a SWAT team passed by us in the halls, in full regalia -- helmets, fatigues, boots, flak vests, carrying M-16s and other assault rifles -- and nobody saw them but me. even though they were in plain sight! Maybe it's because they were all dressed in black ... 

[ClarkKent_DC]

While working up my Christmas cards, I opened an old box of them -- and found two $100 bills,

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

That's awesome! I love it when I win the "laundry lottery". When I'm pulling out a load from the dryer, and I find bills that I had been paid for tutoring sessions come falling out onto the floor. Or when I go through old shirt pockets and find cash neatly folded there.

ClarkKent_DC said:

While working up my Christmas cards, I opened an old box of them -- and found two $100 bills,

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

Totally unexpected I got today off.

[Howard Bagby]

People around here do not handle cold weather well. When I went in we were sold out of milk and bread. This is not unusual when snow is forecast, but I never before seen it with cold.

I was stocking in sporting goods when two young ladies asked me about camping stoves. They had received a text message telling them we would be losing power in the next three hours. I love gullible people.

[Randy Jackson]

Maybe less unexpected, but same here...or at least, I don't have to go to the office.

Travis Herrick (Modular Mod) said:

Totally unexpected I got today off.

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

Nice!

Randy Jackson said:

Maybe less unexpected, but same here...or at least, I don't have to go to the office.

Travis Herrick (Modular Mod) said:

Totally unexpected I got today off.

[Richard Willis]

A funny gymnastics routine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw0iUyCzWeU

[Richard Willis]

Wonderfully crazy commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP7LMPxdLQQ

[ClarkKent_DC]

Howard Bagby said:

People around here do not handle cold weather well. When I went in we were sold out of milk and bread. This is not unusual when snow is forecast, but I never before seen it with cold.

I was stocking in sporting goods when two young ladies asked me about camping stoves. They had received a text message telling them we would be losing power in the next three hours. I love gullible people.

Where I live, anytime it snows, there's a two-in-five chance that the power will go out; I've had it go out for a few hours and up to three days in the dead of winter, at least twice.

It got to the point that my next-door neighbor bought a generator. He and his wife have both, several times, offered to have us over if they wind up having to use it. They also, separately and together, have expressed great concern that it might be too loud and would disturb us. But the way I figure, if it's loud enough to hear, that means it's on because the power's out, and I'd be worried about THAT more than the noise.

[David Warren]

One of my relatives in Wisconsin woke up yesterday to -27 and a broken furnace. She does have a wood stove. I think I'll still take Massachusetts.